Phase II study of topotecan and thalidomide in patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes

Unraveling Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) affect more than 30,000 patients in the USA per year, most of whom are elderly, and these diseases are associated with dismal prognoses. The main features of MDS are ineffective hematopoiesis and aberrant myeloid differentiation. Furthermore, MDS are heterogeneous, both clinically and molecularly. This heterogeneity and the frequent occurrence of age-related comorbidities make the management of these diseases challenging. In fact, there have been no new drug approvals for MDS in the USA in the last 9 years, and few currently available investigational drugs are likely to be approved in the near future. Novel targeted treatment based on better understanding of the pathogenesis of MDS is needed to maximize patient outcomes. Here, we discuss new insights into diagnostic accuracy, prognostic assessment, pathogenic mechanisms, and effective treatments for MDS.

Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia: Forefront of the field in 2015

Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) includes components of both myelodysplastic syndrome and myeloproliferative neoplasms and is associated with a characteristic peripheral monocytosis. CMML is caused by the proliferation of an abnormal hematopoietic stem cell clone and may be influenced by microenvironmental changes. The disease is rare and has undergone revisions in its classification. We review the recent classification strategies as well as diagnostic criteria, focusing on CMML's genetic alterations and unique pathophysiology. We also discuss the latest molecular characterization of the disease, including how molecular factors affect current prognostic models. Finally, we focus on available treatment strategies, with a special emphasis on experimental and forthcoming therapies.

A pilot study of bendamustine in elderly patients with high-risk MDS and AML

We examined the efficacy of bendamustine in 15 pretreated patients (12 men, 3 women, median age 69 years) with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) 3 AML, 5 sAML, 5 CMML II, 1 RAEB II. Patients belonged to the following cytogenetic groups: 3 complex abnormal karyotypes, 7 normal karyotypes, 1 case with 20q- as sole anomaly and 4 single aberrations. The patients received in median two cycles of bendamustine (range 1-5) with a dose of 100 mg/m(2) at Day 1 + 2 (repeated after 28 days). Nine of 15 patients had no side effects of the treatment, six patients suffered from vomiting and epigastric pain as adverse effects of bendamustine. According to the IWG criteria, no complete remission or reduction of transfusions frequency have been observed. Three patients showed no response, one patient with AML died due to progressive disease. In 11 of 12 patients with initial leukocytosis (median 68,975 microl(-1), range 24,000-149,000 microl(-1)), a significant reduction of leukocytosis was achieved with bendamustine with a median duration of 4 weeks. In summary, treatment with bendamustine in patients with high-risk MDS or sAML with leukocytosis can result in a significant reduction of leukocytes, but fails to achieve hematological responses or improvement of transfusions dependency.

Oncological implications of hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) expression

Solid tumours contain regions of hypoxia, which may be a prognostic indicator and determinant of malignant progression, metastatic development and chemoradio-resistance. The degree of intra-tumoural hypoxia has been shown to be positively correlated with the expression of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1. HIF-1 is composed of 2 sub-units, namely HIF-1alpha and HIF-1beta. The production of hypoxia inducible factor 1-alpha has been identified as a key element in allowing cells to adapt and survive in a hostile hypoxic environment via a variety of pathways. HIF-1alpha is stabilised by hypoxia at the protein level, and also by the oncogenes HER2neu, v-src and ras. There are over 60 target genes for HIF-1, many of which are activated in cancers in comparison to equivalent normal tissues. Chemotherapeutic modulation of HIF-1 pathways has shown promise for patients with chemo-radio resistant or recurrent tumours in Phase II clinical trials. We herein review the existing literature on hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha, particularly its role in carcinogenesis and clinical implications of its over-expression.