Because MDS can progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), patients with MDS may receive the same treatment as AML patients. The chemo drug most often used for MDS is called cytarabine (ara-C). It can be given by itself in a low-dose, which can help control the disease, but doesn’t often put it into remission. This treatment is also used for older patients with AML.
Another option is to give the same chemo that is used in younger patients with AML. This means giving cytarabine at a higher dose along with other chemo drugs. This is more often used for advanced MDS (like refractory anemia with excess blasts). For the treatment of MDS, the chemo drugs most often combined with cytarabine are:
Idarubicin
Topotecan
Fludarabine
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