Effect of iron chelator deferasirox on chronic anemia and thrombocytopenia in a transfusion-dependent patient with myelodysplastic syndrome

Excerpt

Iron overload is an important clinical feature in most low-risk MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome) patients with transfusion-dependent anemia. The accumulation of toxic iron deposition leads to bone marrow dysfunction or multiple organ failure, especially of the heart and liver. Therefore, it is important to perform iron chelation therapy (ICT) for MDS patients to improve their survival and quality of life. However, Takatoku et al. [1] reported that only 8.6% of Japanese patients with transfusion iron overload were treated with effective daily or continuous administration of deferoxamin, which must be applied as a continuous subcutaneous infusion and often results in poor compliance. Recently, the use of a novel once-daily oral chelator, deferasirox, was approved in Japan, and it is providing effective convenient therapy with safety and tolerability [2]. Herein, we report a case of a transfusion-dependent MDS patient with iron overload, who was successfully treated with deferasirox, resulting in not only reduced iron level of serum ferritin, but also decrease in red blood cell (RBC) transfusion requirement and suspension of platelet (PC) transfusion. …