Dr. Rizzo on Impact of Age on Survival Outcomes in MDS After HCT

J. Douglas Rizzo, MD, MS, assistant scientific professor, Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, professor of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, discusses a study that examined if age affects survival outcomes in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) who receive a hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT).

Hypomethylating agents can create disease modification for patients with MDS, Rizzo explains. However, allogeneic HCT has proven to be the only curative therapy for this disease.

In patients with MDS over the age of 65, Medicare coverage for HCT was found to be unavailable, Rizzo explains. In disagreement with this decision, researchers conducted a study comparing the survival outcomes of patients aged 55 to 64 with patients over 65, both of whom received HCT. Findings showed that there was not a higher 100-day mortality in the older patient population, Rizzo adds. The study demonstrates that age alone should not be a determinant when considering HCT for patients with MDS.