Tests, Treatments & Therapies for Myelodysplastic Syndromes

At the University of Colorado Cancer Center, we use the most minimally invasive approach possible for both diagnosis and treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndromes. We recognize that both work-up and management requires a multidisciplinary approach with numerous specialists working closely together.

We use both standard treatments and those being tested in clinical trials. You might consider participating in a trial, which are designed to improve current treatments or get information on new treatments. If a new treatment is proven better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment.

Staging and Detection Tests

Once a cancer has been diagnosed, it is very important for doctors to find out where the cancer may have spread (the “stage” of the cancer) to determine the best possible treatment plan for you. To find out, doctors use staging tests, which include:

  • Different types of scans
  • Different ways to take tissue samples to look for tumor cells microscopically (biopsy tests)

Scans and other tests may also be used:

  • In a “surveillance program” looking for any signs of relapse after treatment
  • To monitor responses to treatment

Tests that may be used include:

Blood test – An analysis of a sample of blood to help diagnose or treat a disease

Cytogenetic analysis – The examination of the chromosomes of cells to give doctors information about how to treat patients 

FISH test –Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a test used to check for chromosome abnormalities

Immunophenotyping – A test used to find out if the patient’s lymphocytic Myelodysplastic Syndromes cells are B cells or T cells

Biopsy – The removal of cells or tissues so they can be viewed under a microscope to check for signs of cancer.

Types of scans and procedures include:

Bone marrow aspiration and Bone marrow biopsy – In addition to routine microscopic examination, we test for factors involved in treating Myelodysplastic Syndromes, using state-of-the-art laboratory tests.

A bone marrow aspiration – is a test that involves taking a sample of fluid and cells from the marrow through a special needle. The sample is often taken from a patient’s hip bone.

A bone marrow biopsy – is a test that is done by removing a very small amount of bone filled with marrow cells. The sample is often taken from the patient’s hip bone.

CT scan (computed tomography) – An X-ray procedure that creates detailed, highly accurate cross-sectional body images.

PET scan (positron emission tomography) – An imaging test used to light up cancer in different parts of the body. You get an injection of a short-lived radioactive substance before having the scan. Cancerous tissue will build up more of the substance and appear brighter than normal tissue on the PET images. Other non-cancerous tissues, such as areas of inflammation, can also sometimes “light up.”

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) – An imaging technique that provides detailed images of body structures. It uses a magnetic field instead of the X-rays used in a CT scan. It can measure the size (or change in size) of tumors or organs like the lymph nodes, liver and spleen.

Treatments & Therapy for Myelodysplastic Syndromes

The following treatments may be used alone or in combination to treat Myelodysplastic Syndromes.

Chemotherapy and other drug-based treatments:

Anti-cancer drug treatments – Chemotherapy—and new “targeted therapies”—involve using drugs that kill, slow down or damage cancer cells. Many new drugs are being developed.

View current Myelodysplastic Syndromes clinical trials available at UCCC.

Anti-cancer drug treatments may involve:

  • Single drugs or combinations of drugs
  • Intravenous injections or tablets/capsules
  • Taking the drugs in repeating patterns, called “cycles”, that usually last three to four weeks
  • Taking some drugs every day or only on a few days within the cycles
  • Taking other medicines to reduce or eliminate side effects associated with chemotherapy
  • Taking targeted therapies, often with very little side effects, on their own or in combination with standard chemotherapy
  • Access to new drugs or vaccines on their own, or added into standard treatments, in clinical trials

Chemotherapy and targeted therapies can:

  • Be given before surgery to make the operation easier
  • Be given in combination with radiotherapy to make both treatments more effective
  • Be given after surgery to reduce the chances of cancer coming back
  • Successfully control advanced cancer and many cancer-related symptoms

Bone Marrow Transplantation

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation – A treatment that uses donor stem cells to restore a patient’s marrow and blood cells. The purpose is to be able to use very strong chemotherapy, which damages the bone marrow severely. After the chemotherapy is done, the transplant helps patients make new blood cells.

Autologous stem cell infusion – The patient’s own blood or marrow stem cells are taken when he or she is in remission. The cells are stored and then reinfused after chemotherapy or radiotherapy is completed.

Read more about transplantation

Platelet Transfusion

Platelets are small cells that stick to the site of blood vessel injury and seal it off to stop bleeding.

  • Patients often need an infusion of donor platelets
  • Platelets can be taken from one donor if they are obtained by apheresis, which uses a machine that removes the platelets from a donor’s blood and then returns the plasma and other cells back to the donor

Watchful waiting

Doctors sometimes recommend watchful waiting for patients who are at the stable end of the MDS spectrum of cancers. Patients with mild refractory anemia with mild to moderate decreases in white cell and platelet counts may not require treatment.

Clinical Trials

The goal of clinical research is to improve treatment outcomes and reduce treatment side effects or long-term toxicities. Clinical trials provide the latest treatments because they evaluate:

  • New drugs
  • New combinations of therapies
  • New treatment delivery methods

Because we’re the Rocky Mountain region's only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center—one of only 39 in the United States—your treatment will always include the latest and most comprehensive care options.

Learn more about clinical trials at UCCC.