Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts is having a roller coaster year.
At the same time that GMA beat the Today show in the weekly ratings war for the first time in over 16 years, 51-year-old Roberts got the news that she was suffering from a blood and bone marrow disorder.
Roberts was diagnosed with in 2007. She underwent surgery, chemotherapy and 6 weeks of . However, she returned to the anchor desk only a couple of weeks after having her surgery, wearing a wig because she "didn't want to distract viewers from the news."
Recently, Roberts was concerned about extreme fatigue, more than she has previously experienced with her early morning wake-up.
She under went blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy and was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). It is believed that it might be the result of the radiation therapy she received to treat her breast cancer.
This week, she released a statement:
"As many of you know, 5 years ago I beat breast cancer. I’ve always been a fighter, and with all of your prayers and support, a winner. Sometimes the treatment for cancer can cause other serious medical problems. Today, I want to let you know that I’ve been diagnosed with MDS or myelodysplastic syndrome. It’s a disease of the blood and bone marrow and was once known as preleukemia. My doctors tell me I’m going to beat this — and I know it’s true."Roberts will undergo a . Her older sister, Sally Ann Roberts, an anchor for WWL-TV in New Orleans, is an excellent match, and will be the bone marrow donor.
As she is younger and healthier than many who develop this disease, coupled with having a good bone marrow match, her doctors are saying that her prognosis is good.
Roberts hopes to use this opportunity to increase public awareness of the desperate need for, especially in the African-American community.
What are Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)?
Myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of diseases in which the bone marrow does not make enough healthy blood cells. It can affect any of the myeloid stem cell lines, including red blood cells, platelets, and myeloid white blood cells.Risk factors for myelodysplastic syndromes include the following:
- Being male or white.
- Being older than 60 years.
- Past treatment with chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
- Being exposed to certain chemicals, including tobacco smoke, pesticides, and solvents such as benzene.
- Being exposed to heavy metals, such as mercury or lead.
There are several types of myelodysplastic syndromes.
Myelodysplastic syndromes are characterized by having too few of one or more types of healthy blood cells in the bone marrow or blood. Myelodysplastic syndromes include the following diseases:Refractory anemia: There are too few red blood cells in the blood and the patient has anemia. The number of white blood cells and platelets is normal.
Refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts: There are too few red blood cells in the blood and the patient has anemia. The red blood cells have too much iron. The number of white blood cells and platelets is normal.
Refractory anemia with excess blasts: There are too few red blood cells in the blood and the patient has anemia. Five percent to 19% of the cells in the bone marrow are blasts and there are a normal number of blasts found in the blood. There also may be changes to the white blood cells and platelets. Refractory anemia with excess blasts may progress to acute myeloid leukemia.
Refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation: There are too few red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in the blood, and the patient has anemia. Twenty percent to 30% of the cells in the bone marrow are blasts and more than 5% of the cells in the blood are blasts. Refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation is sometimes called acute myeloid leukemia.
Refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia: There are too few of at least two types of blood cells. Less than 5% of the cells in the bone marrow are blasts and less than 1% of the cells in the blood are blasts. If red blood cells are affected, they may have extra iron. Refractory cytopenia may progress to acute leukemia.
Myelodysplastic syndrome associated with an isolated del(5q) chromosome abnormality: There are too few red blood cells in the blood and the patient has anemia. Less than 5% of the cells in the bone marrow and blood are blasts. There is a specific change in the chromosome.
Unclassifiable myelodysplastic syndrome: There are too few of one type of blood cell in the blood. The number of blasts in the bone marrow and blood is normal, and the disease is not one of the other myelodysplastic syndromes.
What are the symptoms of MDS?
Myelodysplastic syndromes often do not cause early symptoms and are sometimes found during a routine blood test.
Other symptoms can include:
- Shortness of breath.
- Weakness or feeling tired.
- Having skin that is paler than usual
- Easy bruising or bleeding.
- Petechiae (flat, pinpoint spots under the skin caused by bleeding).
- Fever or frequent infections.
There are different types of treatment for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.
Treatment options for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes range from supportive care that helps relieve symptoms to aggressive treatment that may slow or prevent progression of the disease.Problems caused by low blood cell counts, such as fatigue and infections, may be treated with transfusions of blood products or the use of the growth factor erythropoetin. Sometimes granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is given with erythropoietin to help the treatment work better.
Chemotherapy may be used to delay progression of the disease. Other drug therapy may be used to lessen the need for transfusions. Certain patients may benefit from aggressive treatment with chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplant using stem cells from a donor.
Specific protocols for the treatment of MDS can be found at:
What is a stem cell transplant?
A stem cell transplant is a method of giving chemotherapy and replacing blood-forming cells destroyed by the treatment.Stem cells (immature blood cells) are removed from the blood or bone marrow of a donor and are frozen for storage.
After the chemotherapy is completed, the stored stem cells are thawed and given back to the patient through an infusion. These re-infused stem cells grow into (and restore) the body's blood cells.
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Information about clinical trials for MDS can be found at:
Our best wishes to Robin for a speedy recovery!