[tytd]

Hello,
I am not an oncologist but from what I have read it is not an absolute certainty that your MDS will progress to AML. However you do have a higher risk of that since you do have a chromosomal abnormality but the risk is not 100% ( possibly you have a more than 50% risk). More MDS patients die from the consequences of bone marrow failure than from AML. IF you are a candidate for therapy , I think that Vidaza is now preferred over Dacogen just due to the study showing it does improve survival in high risk patients. However you are apparently in the intermediate IPSS category. So should you take Vidaza now or wait until the Procrit stops working or your disease progresses?? I would definitely ask for a referral to a tertiary care center or MDS Center of Excellence oncologist especially if your VA oncologist is young and has not had a lot of experience with MDS patients. You could still be treated at VA but just feel better about getting an opinion from an expert in MDS. Many patients have 2 oncologists, the one at home and the "MDS specialist" who can confer together about your best care. I wish you the best of luck. tytd