P141 Efficacy and safety of deferasirox (Exjade®) in chelation-naive and previously chelated patients with transfusion-dependent myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)

Deferasirox for managing iron overload in people with myelodysplastic syndrome

BACKGROUND

The myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) comprises a diverse group of haematopoietic stem cell disorders. Due to symptomatic anaemia, most people with MDS require supportive therapy including repeated red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. In combination with increased iron absorption, this contributes to the accumulation of iron resulting in secondary iron overload and the risk of organ dysfunction and reduced life expectancy. Since the human body has no natural means of removing excess iron, iron chelation therapy, i.e. the pharmacological treatment of iron overload, is usually recommended. However, it is unclear whether or not the newer oral chelator deferasirox leads to relevant benefit.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of oral deferasirox for managing iron overload in people with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the following databases up to 03 April 2014: MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, Biosis Previews, Web of Science, Derwent Drug File and four trial registries: Current Controlled Trials (www.controlled-trials.com), ClinicalTrials.gov (www.clinicaltrials.gov), ICTRP (www.who.int./ictrp/en/), and German Clinical Trial Register (www.drks.de).

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing deferasirox with no therapy, placebo or with another iron-chelating treatment schedule.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We did not identify any trials eligible for inclusion in this review.

MAIN RESULTS

No trials met our inclusion criteria. However, we identified three ongoing and one completed trial (published as an abstract only and in insufficient detail to permit us to decide on inclusion) comparing deferasirox with deferoxamine, placebo or no treatment.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We planned to report evidence from RCTs that evaluated the effectiveness of deferasirox compared to either placebo, no treatment or other chelating regimens, such as deferoxamine, in people with MDS. However, we did not identify any completed RCTs addressing this question.We found three ongoing and one completed RCT (published as an abstract only and in insufficient detail) comparing deferasirox with deferoxamine, placebo or no treatment and data will hopefully be available soon. These results will be important to inform physicians and patients on the advantages and disadvantages of this treatment option.

Deferasirox for managing iron overload in people with myelodysplastic syndrome

BACKGROUND

The myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) comprises a diverse group of haematopoietic stem cell disorders. Due to symptomatic anaemia most patients require supportive therapy including repeated red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. In combination with increased iron absorption, this contributes to the accumulation of iron resulting in secondary iron overload and the risk of organ dysfunction and reduced life expectancy. Since the human body has no natural means of getting rid of excess iron, iron chelation therapy is usually recommended. However, whether the new oral chelator deferasirox leads to relevant benefit is unclear.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effectiveness and safety of oral deferasirox in people with myelodysplastic syndrome and iron overload.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, Biosis Previews, Web of Science, Derwent Drug File, XTOXLINE and three trial registries: Current Controlled Trials: www.controlled-trials.com, ClinicalTrials.gov: www.clinicaltrials.gov, ICTRP: www.who.int./ictrp/en/. Most recent searches of these databases: June 2010.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials comparing deferasirox with no therapy/placebo or with another iron chelating treatment schedule.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

No studies eligible for inclusion in this review were identified.

MAIN RESULTS

No studies were included in this review. However, we identified one ongoing study comparing deferasirox with deferoxamine.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We planned to report evidence from randomised clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of deferasirox compared to either placebo/no treatment or other chelating regimens such as deferoxamine in people with myelodysplastic syndrome. However, no completed randomised trials addressing this question could be identified.One ongoing randomised study comparing deferasirox with placebo was identified and preliminary data will hopefully be available soon. These results will be important to inform physicians and patients on the advantages and disadvantages of this treatment option.

Iron chelation therapy in MDS: what have we learnt recently?

Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) who receive chronic blood transfusions for anaemia are at risk of developing iron overload, which can negatively affect organ function and survival. Evidence suggests that iron chelation therapy can restore iron balance in these patients and may improve their chances of survival. Recently, several guidelines on the management of patients with MDS have been published that address iron overload and the use of iron chelation therapy. While these guidelines differ in some specific details, they generally agree that patients with lower-risk MDS are most likely to develop iron overload and therefore benefit from iron chelation therapy. The oral iron chelator, deferasirox, has been shown to reduce serum ferritin levels and labile plasma iron in patients with MDS, and has an acceptable safety profile. Unlike other iron chelators, deferasirox also appears to inhibit the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappaB) pathway in MDS blast cells, which may lead to additional beneficial effects.