How long does Vidaza work?

[walker4773]

I was diagnosed with high risk MDS over the summer. I have been on Vidaza for 5 months (5-2-2 treatment) and have seen my blood levels (White & Red) come up to low-normal levels over the past 6 weeks along with low blasts. I was scheduled for a transplant 2 mos. ago but it was put on hold when my levels began to rise along with a 1% blast level. My 6th treatment will start in a few weeks but I am wondering if I should think about a transplant again since I am feeling good and active. I’ve read some reports that doing a transplant when the blood levels are up, quality of life is good and blast levels are down is a good combination with higher success rates.
1) Is there some recent research indicating how long Vidaza works for high risk patients? I remember seeing a 24 month term period but could be wrong.
2) Is there any research indicating when the best time is for transplant consideration? The Hackensack transcript hinted at this topic but I don’t remember seeing anything concrete about this subject.

[Anonymous]

Hi IMJ, Thank you for posting. Vidaza may be able to help the bone marrow make healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets again. This medicine can also kill the unhealthy cells in the marrow that have not been reproducing normally. You will go though treatment cycles every four weeks for as long as your doctor recommends them. You may not see any improvement in your health until you have taken Vidaza for at least 4 to 6 cycles (about 4 to 6 months). And you may feel worse before you feel better. So it’s important to stick with your treatment to give the medicine a chance to work. If Vidaza is improving your health, then your doctor will most likely recommend that you keep taking it.

The same factors used to judge the appropriateness of treatment for MDS are used to evaluate the suitability of transplant. Younger patients with higher-risk disease and good overall health are generally considered appropriate candidates for transplant. The risk vs benefit of transplant must be weighed in the context of all issues such as age, additional health issues, and changes in the pace of the disease. A question that often arises concerns the best timing for transplant – should it be performed at the time of diagnosis, or at the time of disease progression? In patients with low risk MDS it may be best to wait until disease progression; performing transplant can be more life-threating to the patient than waiting since his/her chance of dying from MDS is fairly low. In contrast, high risk MDS patients were more likely to survive longer if transplant occurred at the time of diagnosis rather than at the time of disease progression because transplant extended the life of patients who, on average, would have died sooner due to MDS-related disease progression. Ultimately, the decision to transplant by the doctor and patient must be tailored according to the individual’s situation.

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