cytarabine for high risk mds patients

[rob k]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has had success with cytarabine in regards to mds. My father started injecting himself at home last month. He injects himself twice a day for ten days and then is off of the drug for 28 days. All of his blood counts have gone down since starting the drug. He has had a transfusion of hemoglobin and platelets for the first time since being diagnosed in feb. 2010. His doctor told us that the drug will lower the blood counts initially. My dad was on vidaza and revlimid simultaneouly when he was first diagnosed. He went into complete remission after two cycles. Unfortunately the disease recently came back and he is now taking cytarabine. His bone marrow blast count is about 7%. We are considering a bone marrow transplant if the cytarabine fails to work.