MDS-RIGHT

MDS-RIGHT (Providing the right care to the right patient with MyeloDysplastic Syndrome at the right time) is a research project that has been granted 6 million Euros from the Horizon2020 programme of the European Union. In this project – which started in May 2015 (for 66 months) and ended in 2020 - fifteen European partners have joined forces. By comparing existing health care interventions and by defining and implementing more effective and safer interventions for elderly European citizens with anaemia and/or lower-risk MDS, the project aimed to lead to better treatment compliance and more (cost-)effective use of healthcare resources.

Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) are a group of chronic bone marrow malignancies, predominant in the elderly and complicated by severe anaemia (Anaemia of the Elderly, AoE). Symptoms and complications of MDS negatively impact the quality of life of patients, but in many cases MDS is not correctly diagnosed. In elderly people anaemia is a medical condition that is often seen. It is hypothesized that 20% of all AoE cases - a total of 2 million European elderly citizens - might be explained by lower-risk MDS. AoE is an increasing and complex challenge: the ageing population leads to an increasing financial burden to our healthcare systems, while insufficient awareness of the importance of a timely and right diagnosis increases the burden placed on patients and caregivers and decreases their health related quality of life (HRQoL).

The European project partners worked closely together to address this problem and to develop more (cost-)effective and safer evidence-based, tailored interventions for elderly patients with anaemia and/or lower-risk MDS.

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 634789.