Standard Therapy for Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndromes

The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders characterized by cytopenias, dysplastic changes in the hematopoietic precursors, and an increased risk of evolving into acute leukemia. Treatment for patients with MDS ranges from supportive care with blood products and/or growth factors up to allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Over the past decade, several novel therapeutic agents have been approved for clinical use. In this article, the current approach for the management of patients with MDS according to their risk category is described and mainly focuses on approved novel agents.