Stem Cell Transplantation In Elderly MDS Patients

[Sally C]

From the MDS Beacon...

Stem Cell Transplantation In Elderly MDS Patients: The Role Of Treatment-Related Factors
by Jessica Langholtz and Maike Haehle

Dr. Nikolaus Kroeger, a German myelodysplastic syndromes expert, recently published a review of previous research to assess whether stem cell transplantation is feasible in elderly patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. He came to the conclusion that the procedure is safe and has curative potential for this patient population.

Donor stem cell transplantation is currently the only treatment available that may cure patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). In this procedure, MDS patients receive stem cells from a healthy donor to replenish their own stem cells, which are destroyed prior the transplant using high-dose chemotherapy.

For the rest, see the article at MDS Beacon.

[Neil Cuadra]

Originally Posted by Sally C

In a recent study comparing young unrelated donors with HLA-matched siblings, the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation found that donor age of less than 30 years significantly improved survival in elderly MDS patients only for those using unrelated donors. Donor age had no impact on survival for those using HLA-matched siblings.

According to Dr. Kroeger, this finding indicates that for elderly MDS patients, a young unrelated donor is preferred over an HLA-matched sibling, which is preferred over an older matched unrelated donor.

That's something I learned at the AA&MDSIF Patient Conference in Los Angeles last month, and it surprised me that a matched sibling was not the first choice of donor. But the statistics show that a young matched unrelated donor is even better.