Game-Changing MDS Breakthroughs Revealed: Dr. Naval Daver Teases What’s Next

Naval G. Daver, MD, professor and director of the Leukemia Research Alliance Program, Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the latest advancements in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), with a focus on improving outcomes for patients with lower-risk disease. Dr. Daver emphasizes the importance of managing anemia, a key contributor to reduced quality of life in MDS patients. He highlights promising agents like luspatercept and imetelstat, which have demonstrated effectiveness in raising hemoglobin levels and enhancing patient well-being over time. For patients with longer life expectancies in low-risk MDS, such improvements are particularly meaningful.

He also discusses the potential of combining luspatercept with traditional erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, to further optimize hemoglobin responses, especially in higher-risk or high-blast MDS. On the high-risk front, Dr. Daver shares the anticipation surrounding the phase 3 Verona study, which is evaluating azacitidine in combination with venetoclax versus azacitidine with placebo. A positive outcome could redefine the frontline treatment standard.

Additionally, Dr. Daver touches on the exploration of immune-targeted therapies, including canakinumab-based agents and CD123-directed bispecifics, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies, and other cellular strategies. These emerging approaches may play a transformative role in the future of MDS management, and Dr. Daver foreshadows a detailed discussion to be had during the MDS panel discussion at The HemOnc Pulse Live!