Myelodysplastic syndromes can be cured through a series of treatments; currently the only treatment for this disease is allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; there are also other treatment options for this disease, such as supportive therapy, chemotherapy, and immunomodulatory therapy.
1. Supportive therapy: the main goal is to improve the patient’s quality of life, including blood component transfusion, iron removal therapy (Deferasirox), hematopoietic growth factor infusion therapy, etc.
2. Immunomodulatory therapy: commonly used immunomodulatory drugs include thalidomide and lenalidomide.
3. Immunosuppressive therapy: commonly used drugs for immunosuppressive therapy include anti-thymocyte globulin and cyclosporine A, etc.; they can be applied to patients with low-risk grouping, bone marrow primitive cells <5%, or myeloproliferative hypoplasia.
4. Demethylation drug therapy: commonly used demethylation drugs include 5-aza cytidine, 5-aza-2 deoxycytidine, etc. Demethylation drugs can be applied to patients in the higher risk group. If severe granulocytopenia and/or thrombocytopenia occurs in patients in the lower risk group, demethylating drugs can also be applied to treat them.
5. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: the sources of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells include sibling all-compatible donors and non-related unrelated donors; it is applicable to patients younger than 65 years of age, higher risk patients, patients younger than 65 years of age with severe hematopoiesis, patients who are ineffective in other therapies, or patients who are genetically abnormal with poor prognosis.
For patients diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes, they should immediately go to the relevant departments of regular hospitals and be treated under the guidance of specialized physicians to avoid delays.