title: Lenalidomide (Revlimid, CC-5013) in myelodysplastic syndromes: Is it any good?
abstract: The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) can be divided into "early" and "advanced" disease by evaluation of prognostic variables such as the number of cytopenias, karyotype, and percentage of myeloblasts. Patients with an isolated interstitial deletion of chromosome 5q31 represent a distinct subset who may derive particular benefit from immunomodulatory drugs. Goals of therapy for early MDS focus on hematologic improvement and maximizing quality of life. Thalidomide, the prototype of the immunomodulatory drugs, yields major erythroid responses in some patients with early MDS, but doselimiting neurologic toxicities limit its potential clinical benefit. Lenalidomide, a more potent and non-neurotoxic derivative, has shown promising results in early MDS, yielding hematologic improvement in almost half of patients and transfusion independence with cytogenetic remissions in approximately two thirds of patients harboring the chromosome 5q31 deletion.
authors.affiliation: H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, University of South Florida, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612-9497, USA.
authors.forename: Mikkael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sekeres
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: List
mesh_terms: D001803:Blood Transfusion; D017321:Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic; D017322:Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077269:Lenalidomide; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007155:Immunologic Factors; D013792:Thalidomide; D000077269:Lenalidomide