Many people are not familiar with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), as it is a relatively rare disease. Although MDS is not cancer, it can transform into leukemia under certain conditions, which is a very frightening aspect of MDS. Timely treatment is essential after the occurrence of MDS, and common treatment methods include supportive therapy, immunomodulatory therapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, etc.
1. Supportive therapy. It mainly includes blood transfusion, iron removal, platelet transfusion, neutrophil treatment, etc. There are many factors that can lead to anemia, such as bleeding, hemolysis, etc. If MDS itself causes anemia, careful handling is necessary during treatment. If appropriate treatment measures are not taken during blood transfusion, iron overload will shorten the patient's survival time.
2. Immunomodulatory therapy. The drugs mainly used for immunomodulatory therapy are thalidomide and lenalidomide. The former can effectively improve erythroid cytology, but long-term use results in poor tolerance. The latter has more significant therapeutic effects on patients with chromosome 5q- abnormalities, but there is more bone marrow suppression.
3. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the most effective method for treating myelodysplastic syndromes, but some complications may occur with age.
