How is myelodysplasia treated?

Currently, the most common treatment for myelodysplasia is red blood cell transfusion. However, most doctors decide which treatment is best based on the disease's progression. For instance, patients in the chronic or "stable" stage of myelodysplasia are often not treated. The belief is that they can tolerate a larger decrease in blood cells, without having to make an adjustment to their daily schedule of activities.

For those patients who do experience substantial decreases in their blood cell count, chemotherapy or other drugs that stimulate blood cell production may be used. In chemotherapy, the drugs are administered to a patient either through a pill or a transfusion. Some of the drugs used in chemotherapy include mitoxantrone, daunorubcin, and idarubicin. Once a drug enters the bloodstream, it travels throughout the body, affecting all blood cells, and ultimately, causing the body to launch its own attack on the disease.

Another possible treatment, albeit an experimental one, is a bone marrow transplant. In this process, radiation is first used to destroy all the bone marrow in the body and then healthy bone marrow is transplanted.

The future of treatment for Myelodysplasia lies in the medical community's exploration of new drugs. One medication scientists are currently researching is thalidomide, the same drug linked to hundreds of birth defects during the 1960s and '70s. In spite of the drug's notoriety, some scientists today believe thalidomide's benefits may outweigh its risks. Consequently, clinical trials of the drug -- following strict FDA regulations -- are underway to determine if it can safely increase red cell counts in myelodysplasia patients.

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