Dr. Carraway on the Importance of Testing for Biomarkers in Patients with MDS and AML

Hetty Carraway, MD, associate professor of Medicine, the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, and member, Hematology and Medical Oncology, the Cleveland Clinic, discusses the role of biomarker testing in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). 

Identifying relevant genomic information has helped shape treatment options for patients with myeloid malignancies, AML, or MDS, Carraway says. This information has helped physicians better classify a disease’s underlying biology and its drivers to the leukemogenesis and pathogenesis, Carraway explains. The speed of these tests has also improved, allowing for faster identification of the best therapy plan for each patient, Carraway adds.

Oncologists continue to ask if mutations can help to identify resistance pathways to specific drugs, and this has shaped frontline treatment choices, Carraway continues. These tools help evaluate minimal residual disease, plus optimal therapy at diagnosis and during remission, Carraway concludes.