Amifostine is a cytoprotective agent mainly used in
cancer therapies, in order to ameliorate the toxic effects of anticancer
chemotherapy and
radiotherapy. In the past years an intriguing number of applications of
amifostine have been identified; one of these is bone marrow cells protection and stimulation.
Amifostine was administered in seven patients with
myelodysplastic syndromes, four males and 3 females aged between 67 and 78 years old, in order to estimate its efficacy in reducing the need for red blood cells transfusions. Two patients had
RAEB, four RA and one RARS. The
drug was administered in an outpatient basis in a dose of 300 mgr/m2, three times weekly for at least four weeks. We administered at the same time
erythropoietin 10.000 U subcutaneously. All patients received daily supplementation of oral ferrum
sulfate and
folic acid. Three patients, a woman with RA and two men, one with RA and another with
RAEB improved the levels of Hb beyond 12,0 gr/dl and did not receive
blood transfusions after the second week of treatment. The
drug was well tollerated without any side effects in all of the patients.