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Resuscitating a Dying Marrow: the Role of Hematopoietic Growth Factors

  • Myelodysplastic Syndromes (M Sekeres, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

The treatment landscape for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) has evolved over the last two decades, with a better understanding of the disease pathophysiology and the use of newer or combination therapies. For lower-risk MDS patients, hematopoietic growth factors have continued to be the mainstay of therapy. However, better patient selection criteria and decision tools to predict responses have made these therapies more beneficial to patients. As the range of newer drugs continues to expand in our treatment armamentarium for lower-risk MDS, questions still remain regarding the safety of these drugs with long-term use. This review will discuss the role of growth factors in MDS, focusing on dosing and combination strategies to improve responses, selecting the appropriate patient population, and recognizing the safety profile based on evidence from published literature.

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Dr. Aakriti Pandita and Dr. Sudipto Mukherjee each declare no potential conflict of interest.

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  1. Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Desk R35, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA

    Aakriti Pandita & Sudipto Mukherjee

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Correspondence to Sudipto Mukherjee.

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Pandita, A., Mukherjee, S. Resuscitating a Dying Marrow: the Role of Hematopoietic Growth Factors. Curr Hematol Malig Rep 9, 412–420 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11899-014-0236-z

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