Guidelines on iron chelation therapy in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes and transfusional iron overload.
Experts believe that iron overload is an important problem which could be avoided with suitable treatment. Guidelines on treating myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) include sections on using iron chelation therapy to prevent or ameliorate transfusional iron overload. The proportion of MDS patients who may benefit from iron chelation therapy is 35-55%, depending on the length of survival necessary for iron to accumulate to a detrimental level. Candidates for iron chelation are mainly patients with dyserythropoietic and cytopenic subtypes of disease, which fall into the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) Low-risk or Intermediate-1-risk categories, with median survival of 3-6 years.
Gattermann
Norbert
N
Klinik für Hämatologie, Onkologie und klinische Immunologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. gattermann@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
D006801:Humans; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000628:therapy*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D015996:Survival Rate; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D007502:Iron Chelating Agents