News Details

NCCN Announces Important Updates to Myelodysplastic Syndromes Guidelines

JENKINTOWN, Pa., February 23, 2006 — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) announces updates to the NCCN Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) Guidelines. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ are widely recognized and applied as the standard for clinical policy in oncology in both the community practice setting and in academic cancer centers. These guidelines are used extensively by managed care companies and by Medicare as the basis for coverage policies. These guidelines are updated continually and are based upon evaluation of scientific data integrated with expert judgment.

The MDS panel provided two recent updates to the MDS guidelines after reviewing the literature supporting new agents approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the management of MDS. The guidelines updated to a 2.2006 version with the incorporation of deferasirox. This agent was granted accelerated approval by the FDA for the treatment of chronic iron overload. The MDS panel strongly recommends the consideration of deferasirox as an iron chelating agent for patients who have received greater than 20-30 red blood cell transfusions. The guidelines updated to a 3.2006 version with the review and inclusion of lenalidomide. This agent was granted restricted distribution for transfusion-dependent anemia due to low or intermediate MDS associated with deletion 5q cytogenetic abnormalities. The MDS panel recommends lenalidomide for the treatment of patients with clinically significant cytopenias and a deletion 5q abnormality.

“NCCN Guidelines highlight the cutting-edge developments in treatment and are an essential tool for physicians, allied health professionals, patients and public and private payors,” said William T. McGivney, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of the NCCN.

For a detailed listing of all updates to the NCCN Guidelines, please go to www.nccn.org.