Clinical Edge

Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions

Azacitidine in Lower-Risk MDS Shows Promise

Oncologist; ePub 2017 Nov 8; Komrokji, et al

Azacitidine appears promising in certain patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), researchers concluded after conducting an analysis involving 233 individuals. Participants were from 6 clinical studies and 1 registry. Investigators looked at red blood cell (RBC) transfusion independence (TI) and clinical benefit. Among the results:

  • 9 in every 10 patients had non-del(5q) LR-MDS.
  • RBC-TI occurred in 39% of these individuals, and clinical benefit in 81%.
  • In patients with isolated anemia, RBC-TI and clinical benefit occurred in 42% and 83%, respectively.
  • Plans to use ≥6 azacitidine treatment cycles significantly predicted response.

The authors noted that their findings show that azacitidine works just as well as lenalidomide does in patients with similar characteristics.

Citation:

Komrokji R, Swern A, Grinblatt D, et al. Azacitidine in lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes: A meta-analysis of data from prospective studies. [Published online ahead of print November 8, 2017]. Oncologist. doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2017-0215.