What Are the Treatments for Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)?
Understanding treatment options, goals, and what to expect is essential for achieving the best possible outcome in MDS.
Key Questions to Ask Your Doctor
About Treatment Goals
- Is immediate treatment necessary, or can we take a watch-and-wait approach?
- What are the goals of treatment—curative, slowing disease progression, or managing symptoms?
- How might treatment affect my prognosis and risk of progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML)?
About Treatment Plan
- What are my treatment options based on my MDS subtype, risk category, and genetic mutations?
- What are the potential side effects of each treatment option?
- How will treatment affect my daily life, energy levels, and ability to work or travel?
MDS Treatment Options
The timing and type of treatment depends on both the subtype and the IPSS-R risk score. Options can include:
- Supportive Care: Designed to boost blood counts and reduce symptoms. They do not treat the cancer.
- Blood Transfusions: For anemia or low platelet counts
- Growth Factors: Such as erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) to stimulate red blood cell production
- Antibiotics: To treat infections
- Disease-Modifying Therapy
- Hypomethylating Agents (HMAs): Help normalize blood cell production and slow disease progression
- Immunotherapy: Utilizes the body’s own immune system to fight cancer cells.
- Targeted Therapy: Targets proteins that control how cancer cells grow, divide, and spread.
- Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation: The only potentially curative treatment, and typically recommended for younger or higher-risk patients in good health.
- Clinical Trials: Participation may offer access to novel therapies not yet widely available.
MDS Treatment & Clinical Trial Programs
Debunks myths about clinical trials and provides patients with knowledge and confidence to feel well-informed when discussing treatment options with their healthcare team
Topics:
- The Basics: Understanding Clinical Trial Research
- Understanding Common Misconceptions
- Clinical Trial Safety
- Clinical Trials 101 Resource Guides
Aims to help you reduce risk, treat, and survive cancer by growing your confidence and teaching you the skills and benefits of making decisions with your healthcare team.
What You Need to Know Before Choosing a Cancer Treatment
Advocacy program focusing on culturally competent whole-person healthcare, treating the whole-patient in tandem with existing care.
