Robin Roberts' MDS Treatment May Last Six Months, According To Medical Experts

Inside Robin Roberts' Treatment Plan

Robin Roberts' medical leave could last as long as six months, according to a New York Post report about the treatment for MDS.

The "Good Morning America" co-host just announced that Friday will be her last day on the show before her medical leave. Roberts was recently diagnosed with MDS, a rare bone and blood marrow disorder, after her battle with breast cancer. She will check into the hospital next Tuesday, and receive a bone marrow transplant from her sister.

One expert told the New York Post that Roberts will first undergo chemotherapy to destroy the bad bone marrow. The co-host previously said that it will take about ten days in the hospital before the actual transplant.

The typical treatment, according to the Post, includes a month in the hospital and at least three months under careful monitoring. Dr. Stuart Goldberg, chief of the leukemia program at the John Theurer Cancer Center, told the paper that
the second to fourth month will be the most precarious time, when the body either accepts or rejects the new bone marrow.

Dr. Scott Rowley, the cancer center's head of blood and bone marrow transplantation, said that it is usually 100 days before patients discuss returning to work. The Post reports, "If all goes well, there is a chance Roberts could be back on the air by early next year, doctors said."

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DIANE SAWYER, GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS

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