A new study finds that longer courses of a mild form of chemotherapy may help patients with a bone marrow disease only recently considered a form of cancer. Writing in the April 15, 2006 issue of CANCER (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/cancer-newsroom), a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, researchers say the study found that 45 percent of patients with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) who relapse did respond to a second course of treatment, but that the quality and duration of the second response was inferior to the initial treatment, leading researchers to believe that longer initial treatments may be more beneficial to patient outcome.

MDS is a bone marrow disease that causes an increasing number of dysfunctional blood cells called blasts to develop from stem cells and proliferate in the blood stream at the expense of normal cells. As a result, fewer normal red blood cells will circulate to carry oxygen to cells resulting in anemia; fewer white blood cells will be available to fight infections; and fewer platelets to control bleeding. Although MDS has not been considered cancer in the past, most hematologists (specialists in diseases of the blood) now think it is a form of bone marrow cancer (i.e. leukemia).

MDS generally afflicts adults over 50 years old, and therapy is supportive rather than curative. However, a subset of MDS patients will develop blood cell cancer, or leukemia. These high-risk patients have been shown to benefit from a new DNA hypomethylating agent, decitabine, undergoing clinical trials. The results of these trials are revealed in a related article by Kantarjian et al. also published in the April 15, 2006 issue of CANCER.

Little is known about the optimal duration of treatment with decitabine and the effect of retreatment for relapse. Led by Michael Lbbert, M.D., Ph.D. of the University of Freiburg Medical Center in Freiburg, German
'"/>

Contact: David Greenberg
dgreenbe@wiley.com
201-748-6484
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
13-Mar-2006

Page: 1 2
Related medicine news :

1. Study, meta-analysis examine factors associated with death from heatstroke
2. Study says COPD testing is not measuring up
3. Study suggests loss of 2 types of neurons -- not just 1 -- triggers Parkinsons symptoms
4. Study reveals gaps in vaccine financing for underinsured children
5. Study suggests nonpharmaceutical interventions may be helpful in severe influenza outbreaks
6. Study shows radiofrequency ablation highly effective in treating kidney tumors
7. Study says normal but out-of-control enzyme may be culprit that signals some cells to become cancer
8. Study finds HIV protease inhibitor drugs may adversely affect the scaffolding of the cell nucleus
9. Study outlines how stroke, head injury can increase risk of Alzheimers disease
10. Study identifies new regulator of fat metabolism
11. Study shows Diachrome improves blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes