Supportive Care and Hematologic Malignancies: Updates from the 2007 American Society of Hematology
C. Dean Buckner, MD, Founding Member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Myelodysplastic Syndrome: An Update from ASCO 2007
Hagop Kantarjian, MD, Chairman and Professor, Leukemia Department, MD Anderson Cancer Center

Advances in the Treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndrome: Report from the 2006 American Society of Hematology Meeting
Hagop Kantarjian, MD, Chairman and Professor, Leukemia Department, MD Anderson Cancer Center

Treating Malignant Disease With Reduced Intensity Stem Cell Transplants - A Review

Pomalidomide Active for Treatment of Anemia of Myelofibrosis (8/21/2009)
Researchers involved in an international trial have reported that pomalidomide is active for the treatment of anemia associated with myelofibrosis. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on August 3, 2009.

Weight-based Dose Escalation of Aranesp® May Improve Responses in Patients with Low- and Intermediate-risk MDS (3/13/2009)
Researchers from Stanford University have reported that an intra-patient weight-based dose escalation scheme of Aranesp® (darbepoetin) may improve responses in patients with low and intermediate risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The details of this study appeared in the January 2009 issue of the American Journal of Hematology.

Vidaza® Better Than Conventional Care for High-risk MDS (3/4/2009)
Researchers affiliated with the AZA-001 study have reported that Vidaza® (azacitadine) prolongs survival of patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The final analysis of this randomized study was published in the March 2009 issue of Lancet Oncology, and[1] preliminary results were presented at the 2007 meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology 2008: Highlights of Treatment of Hematological Malignancies (1/30/2009)
The 2008 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), held in Chicago, Illinois, again revealed advances in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Patients with chronic or acute leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes, and myeloproliferative disorders continue to be presented with novel, effective options for the treatment of their diseases.

GVAX Tested as Post-allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant Therapy in Patients with Advanced Myeloid Malignancies (1/13/2009)
Researchers from the Dana Farber Cancer Center have reported that GVAX, a cancer vaccine composed of autologous leukemia cells genetically modified to secrete granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), may have anti-leukemic effects when administered after a reduced-intensity allogeneic stem cell transplant in patients with advanced myeloid malignancies. The details of this study were presented at the 2008 meeting of the American Society of Hematology on December 9, 2008, in San Francisco.