Iron Chelation Therapy in Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous disorder of the hematopoietic stem cells, frequently characterized by anemia and transfusion dependency. In low-risk patients, transfusion dependency can be long lasting, leading to iron overload. Iron chelation therapy may be a therapeutic option...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Emanuela Messa, Daniela Cilloni, Giuseppe Saglio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2010-01-01
Series:Advances in Hematology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/756289
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous disorder of the hematopoietic stem cells, frequently characterized by anemia and transfusion dependency. In low-risk patients, transfusion dependency can be long lasting, leading to iron overload. Iron chelation therapy may be a therapeutic option for these patients, especially since the approval of oral iron chelators, which are easier to use and better accepted by the patients. The usefulness of iron chelation in MDS patients is still under debate, mainly because of the lack of solid prospective clinical trials that should take place in the future. This review aims to summarize what is currently known about the incidence and clinical consequences of iron overload in MDS patients and the state-of the-art of iron chelation therapy in this setting. We also give an overview of clinical guidelines for chelation in MDS published to date and some perspectives for the future.
ISSN:1687-9104
1687-9112