New updated results from a pivotal Phase II trial evaluating Revlimid in patients with an incurable blood cancer known as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) were presented by Dr. Alan List, from the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, at the 9th International Symposium on MDS currently taking place in Florence, Italy.
Breakthrough data presented at the meeting showed that Revlimid, or lenalidomide, can provide long-term survival benefit and prevent disease progression in MDS patients with chromosome 5q deletion.
"These landmark data demonstrate that Revlimid, in many cases, can help patients with MDS live transfusion free for several years. More importantly, we found that Revlimid can provide a significant long-term survival advantage, with 87 percent of cytogenic responders having a ten-year survival estimate," said Dr. List, Professor of Oncology and Medicine and Chief, Division of Malignant Hematology at Moffitt, and lead investigator of the study. "It is very rewarding to see patients treated with Revlimid, living longer, living three or four years transfusion free and having a better quality of life overall."
The updated data presented by Dr. List at this year's Symposium showed that patients with MDS with chromosome 5q deletion who received Revlimid were able to remain transfusion free for an average of 2.2 years and, after four years, patients were still responding to treatment. Additionally, among patients who showed a cytogenic response to Revlimid, 87 percent had a ten year survival estimate compared to only four percent of non-cytogenic responders.