David Steensma on Treatment Options for Myelodysplastic Syndromes

David Steensma, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses treatment options for myelodysplastic syndromes.

Steensma emphasizes that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work for treating these syndromes. Instead, patients, doctors, and nurses need to develop a plan based on factors such as risk associated with the disease and genetics.

Transplant holds the only possibility of cure, but patients who do not qualify and have certain genomic mutations can manage their condition with certain treatments or targeted therapies. For other patients, clinical trials are especially important as new drugs continue to be developed.