Treatment of older patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS): the emerging role of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo HSCT).

MDS are myeloid clonal hematologic disorders that are most commonly diagnosed in the seventh decade of life. Several treatment options are currently available. However, allo HSCT remains the only curative therapy. Unfortunately, despite the higher incidence of MDS in the older population, less than 10 % of patients undergoing allo HSCT for MDS are > 65 years old. In this paper we discuss the various treatment options in older patients with high-risk MDS with particular emphasis on the role of allo HSCT in older MDS patients.