A complex group of heterogenous hematopoietic disorders, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) often go unrecognized and undiagnosed. Accurate diagnosis and risk assessment for this condition require a myriad of tests and an in-depth evaluation of symptoms. In this excerpt from their continuing medical education (CME)/nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) virtual tumor board entitled Diagnosis and Management of Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Dr. David Steensma, Dr. Reza Nejati, and Ms. Irene ...

In this interview, Olatoyosi Odenike, MD, speaks with i3 Health about the approval of oral decitabine/cedazuridine (Inqovi®, Astex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) for adult patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Dr. Odenike, Director of the Leukemia Program at the University of Chicago and an investigator of one of the clinical trials on which the approval was based, discusses the challenges of treating patients with MDS and the significance of the approval of oral decitabine/cedazuridine. What a...

The FDA has approved oral decitabine/cedazuridine (Inqovi®, Astex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) for the treatment of adult patients with either newly diagnosed or previously treated de novo or secondary myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) whose disease is classified as one of the following French-American-British subtypes: refractory anemia, refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts, refractory anemia with excess blasts, or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). Decitabine/cedazuridine is indicated for pa...

Patients with anemia and lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are usually treated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agent therapy; however, this treatment method is not always effective in this patient population, and many rely on blood transfusions to treat MDS-related anemia. But now with the recent FDA approval of luspatercept-aamt (Reblozyl®, Celgene Corporation), those patients may no longer be dependent on blood transfusions. Luspatercept-aamt was recently FDA approved for the treatmen...