Brief Communication

Danazol Therapy for Thrombocytopenia in Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Nora Viniou, Eleni Plata, Evangelos Terpos, Eleni Variami, John Meletis, George Vaiopoulos, Dimitris Loukopoulos, Georgia Chatzidimitriou, Xenophon Yataganas

First Department of Internal Medicine, University of Athens School of Medicine, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, Greece

Address of Corresponding Author

Acta Haematol 2002;107:234-236 (DOI: 10.1159/000058321)

  Abstract

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Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of clonal stem cell disorders characterized by ineffective haemopoiesis, resulting in variable degrees of cytopenia and intrinsically carrying the potential of leukaemic transformation. Neither curative nor standard therapy has been available yet for the majority of patients with MDS. Young patients with matched related donors might undergo allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, while high-dose chemotherapy may lead to significant lasting improvement in a limited number of patients with high-risk MDS. Combination of growth factors, like recombinant erythropoietin and recombinant human granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor, or erythropoietin alone, with or without cyclosporine, has shown favourable response rates in subgroups of these patients [1, 2]. Interleukin-3 and interleukin-6 improve platelet count in about one third of patients with MDS but are associated with relatively important side effects [3]. Danazol, a synthetic attenuated androgen, has received special interest due to its initially demonstrated activity in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and autoimmune haemolytic anaemia and some encouraging results from trials in MDS patients with thrombocytopenia [4-8]. We summarise the results of danazol therapy in 17 patients with MDS and thrombocytopenia and discuss the effect of danazol in this subgroup of MDS patients.

Copyright © 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Nora Viniou
First Department of Internal Medicine
University of Athens School of Medicine
24 Sofokleous Street, 17671 Athens (Greece)
Tel./Fax +30 1 9567636, E-Mail jbnv@otenet.gr

  Article Information

Received: Received: October 12, 2001
Accepted after revision: December 27, 2001
Number of Print Pages : 3
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 1, Number of References : 11