The Evolving Treatment Landscape of Lower-Risk MDS

Michael Savona, MD and Amer Zeidan, MBBS review the biology underlying myelodysplastic syndrome and explain the patient journey from symptom presentation to official diagnosis.

Dr Savona and Dr. Zeidan define lower- vs higher-risk MDS, describe their approach to risk stratification, and share how assessing risk is critical for developing treatment plans for patients.

Dr. Zeidan discusses first-line treatment options and the role of ESAs, while Dr. Savona reviews second-line treatment options and factors influencing treatment decisions in lower-risk MDS.

An overview of the patient population and study design of the IMerge trial evaluating imetelstat, highlighting its MOA and rationale for its use in MDS, and reviews key efficacy outcomes, including HgB levels and transfusion independence.

Expert oncolgists examine 1-year follow-up data from the IMerge trial, discussing the durability of response (transfusion independence), the impact of imetelstat on hemoglobin levels, key safety outcomes and managing cytopenias.

A closer look at disease modifying treatments in MDS, providing insights into their mechanisms of action and impact on the management of the disease.

Insights on patient-reported fatigue from the IMerge trial, reviewing imetelstat data and its potential to address an unmet need in lower-risk MDS.

Closing remarks on the overall clinical implications of imetelstat data, and patient populations that could benefit the most from it.