Clinical consequences of iron overload in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes: the case for iron chelation therapy.

Clinical consequences of iron overload in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes: the case for iron chelation therapy. Expert Rev Hematol. 2018 Jun 14;: Authors: Shammo JM, Komrokji RS Abstract INTRODUCTION: Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are at increased risk of iron overload due to ineffective erythropoiesis and chronic transfusion therapy. The clinical consequences of iron overload include cardiac and/or hepatic failure, endocrinopathies, and infection risk. Areas covered: Iron chelation therapy (ICT) can help remove excess iron and ultimately reduce the clinical consequences of iron overload. The authors reviewed recent (last five years) English-language articles from PubMed on the topic of iron overload-related complications and the use of ICT (primarily deferasirox) to improve outcomes in patients with MDS. Expert Commentary: While a benefit of ICT has been more firmly established in other transfusion-dependent conditions such as thalassemia, its role in reducing iron overload in MDS remains controversial due to the lack of prospective controlled data demonstrating a survival benefit. Orally administered chelation agents (e.g., deferasirox), are now available, and observational and/or retrospective data support a survival benefit of using ICT in MDS. The placebo-controlled TELESTO trial (NCT00940602) is currently examining the use of deferasirox in MDS patients with iron overload, and is evaluating specifically ...
Source: Expert Review of Hematology - Category: Hematology Tags: Expert Rev Hematol Source Type: research