Few With Myelodysplastic Syndromes Receive Hypomethylating Agents
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Aug. 11, 2025 -- Few patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) receive treatment with hypomethylating agents (HMAs), with evidence of age-, sex-, and race-related disparities, according to a study published online Aug. 5 in Blood Neoplasia.
Sudipto Mukherjee, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., from the Taussig Cancer Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues examined factors associated with patterns of HMA use in patients with MDS in a retrospective cohort study involving 49,514 individuals aged 65 years and older with incident MDS during 2012 to 2013.
The researchers found that 16.1 percent of patients received HMAs. Compared with younger individuals (65 to 74 years), the oldest age cohort (85 years and older) had lower odds of receiving HMAs (adjusted odds ratio, 0.41). Significantly lower odds of receiving HMAs were seen for women and Black patients versus men and White patients (adjusted odds ratios, 0.81 and 0.70, respectively). Factors associated with lower odds of receiving four or more cycles of HMAs included treatment with decitabine, having two to three cytopenias, being nursing home residents, and having high frailty (adjusted odds ratios, 0.70, 0.69, 0.64, and 0.50, respectively).
"Given the absence of newly approved therapies over the last two decades, the most impactful way to improve outcomes in newly diagnosed high-risk MDS requires that we do better with the available therapies," Mukherjee said in a statement. "Making changes with these therapies and how they are given (that is, when to treat and how to treat) is a key intervention that can have a huge impact."
Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
Abstract/Full text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2025
Read this next
Older Age, Lower Fitness Linked to Atrial Ectopic Burden
FRIDAY, Aug. 29, 2025 -- Age is a significant independent risk factor for atrial ectopic burden (AEB) and ventricular ectopic burden (VEB), according to a study presented at the...
Geriatric Assessment in the Emergency Department Reduces Admission Rates
FRIDAY, Aug. 29, 2025 -- A comprehensive assessment of older adults being seen in the emergency department can help reduce hospital admissions, according to a study published...
2010 to 2023 Saw Decline in Births, Increase in Deaths in the United States
FRIDAY, Aug. 29, 2025 -- From 2010 to 2023, the number of births in the United States declined, and the number of deaths increased, according to the Aug. 27 National Vital...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.