Very-low-dose decitabine treatment for patients with intermediate- or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome: a retrospective analysis of thirteen cases

Decitabine is a hypomethylating drug that is used to treat myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) at a recommended dose and schedule (20 mg/m 2 per day, for 5 consecutive days). However, due to its relatively high incidence of side effects and its effects on neoplastic cells, many studies have begun to explore the clinical application of a low dose of decitabine for treating MDS. In this retrospective study, we examined the effects of a very-low-dose decitabine schedule for treating MDS. A total of 13 patients diagnosed with de novo MDS received a schedule of intravenous decitabine administration at 6 mg/m 2 per day for 7 days, repeated every 4 weeks. The complete response rate was 30.8%, and the overall response rate was 69.2%. In patients with complete remission, the median time to granulocyte recovery greater than 0.5 × 10 9 /L during complete remission (CR) was 15 days. In patients with remission, the median time to granulocyte recovery greater than 0.5 × 10 9 /L was 10.5 days. The 1-year survival rate was 72.7% and the median survival was 28.0 months. In summary, we demonstrated that a very-low-dose decitabine schedule has an appreciable response and survival rate, as well as appreciable tolerance and medical compliance for treating MDS.