Methods for Treating Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Abstract

A method for monitoring the effectiveness of treatment in a subject with MDS is provided. Also provided are methods for identifying a subject with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) for treatment with a telomerase inhibitor and methods for treating MDS. The subject method can include administering an effective amount of a telomerase inhibitor to a subject and assessing hTERT expression levels in a biological sample obtained from the subject. In some cases, a 50% or greater decrease in hTERT expression levels identifies a subject who is likely to benefit from treatment with a telomerase inhibitor. The subject can be naive to treatment with HMA, lenalidomide, or both.