Revlimid when Vidaza stopped working

[KingJohn1967]

My dad has been battling MDS for 4+ year. For the past two years, he has been taking Vidaza, and last August went from 28 day treatment to 56 day treatment. His blasts were < 2%, platelets were normal, and RBC normal. He was also transfustion independent for months. Originally he thought he was in maintenance, but turns out his WBC was not recovering. The doctors started him again in 28 day treatment 12/1/08, by this time his blasts were > 14, platelets < 20, and bi-weekly transfusions and weekly platelets. he is RAEB-II. He has 3 treatments, and the doctos are recommending he stop, and try a new drug therapy, PDX-101, which is in Phase II trial.

My question, has anyone else gone from taking Vidaza when it didn’t work, to Revlimid?

[jaxem]

you might find people that have had success going from hypomethylating drugs such as dacogen and/or vidaza but I’d be doing research on your doc’s recommended drug. where is your father receiving treatment? how old is he?

[KingJohn1967]

Thanks for the post. My dad is 68 years old, and is being treated at Barnes-Jewish hospital in St Louis at the Siteman Center. The drug study is PXD-101, which is a study being done with Mayo Clinic, and Washington University is participating.

[Mary4Mike]

KingJohn,

You were asking about people that have gone from Vidaza to Revlimid. My husband was on Vidaza for approximately 14 months and was transfusion free during that time. It stopped working for him and he did give Revlimid a try. He took it for close to 6 months with no improvement at all. Keep in mind that no 2 patients respond the same. This forum is a testamony to that.

Best wishes to your dad. I pray that PXD-101 is the answer for him and many more. I am wondering if it is an agent similar to vorinostat – the drug that IRA (in previous posts) had such great results with.

[KingJohn1967]

Mary,

Thanks for the post. Unfortunately, we received very bad news today. My dad was diagnosed with AML, his blasts are 24. He is no longer a candidate for PXD-101.

What a brutal disease. 9 months ago, he blasts were less than 2, and he was boggy boarding in the surf in the Outer Banks.

I pray your husband disease remains stable, and does not progress.

John

[Mary4Mike]

John,

Do the doctors have a new plan of action for your dad?

Mary

[jaxem]

john
ditto on the brutality and insidiousness of the disease. Have the blasts progressed to the peripheral blood or just in the marrow? like mary’s question, what now?

[KingJohn1967]

Jack,
Mary,

Thanks for the support. My Dad has his next appointment on Monday when the doctor is suppose to provide options. He did mention either heavy chemotherapy where in the hospital for a month, or a low dose to manage AML. I am 1,000 miles away, so my sisters are going with my father.

My reading is that prognosis for AML for MDS patients is not promising. I hope my understanding is incorrect.

John

[KingJohn1967]

Jack,
Mary,

My Dad start induction chemo on Monday. His blasts are at 40%, but they have not moved into side blood. He will be in the hospital for a month, then comes home before going back for stem cell.

He is in such good health otherwise, and from the outside you could never even tell he is sick. Hopefully, he is string enough to get through the chemo.

John

[jaxem]

john
as I’ve stated before, no difference between mds & aml, just the level of blasts get above 20% w/ aml. "going back for stem cell" means he’s going for a transplant? got to get the blasts down as much as possible to assure the best chance for a successful transplant. where is he getting his treatments?

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