The Role of Inflammation in MDS: What Have Clinical Studies Revealed?

In an interview with Heme Today, Juan Jose Rodriguez-Sevilla, MD, PhD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center provided an update on current clinical understanding of the role of inflammation in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

Dr. Rodriguez-Sevilla describes genetic studies’ findings that inflammation within the bone marrow microenvironment is a factor in the initial emergence of MDS. Additional research has established it is also a driver of the disease’s progression, converting from a premalignant state into MDS and then acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Clinical trials are underway to develop agents that target inflammation within MDS pathobiology as an avenue to treat the disease. Dr. Rodriguez-Sevilla highlighted the phase II trial work of his team at MD Anderson on such an agent, canakinumab, recently published in Nature Communications. From his experience in that trial, he stressed the importance of improving patient diagnosis and risk stratification to optimize cohort selection for such investigations.