Project description:Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of clonal hematological disease with high risk of progression to AML. Accurate risk stratification is of importance for the proper management of MDS. Genetic lesions (Cytogenetic and Molecular mutations) are known to help in prognosticating the MDS patients. We have studied 152 MDS patients using cytogenetics and next generation sequencing (NGS). These patients were evaluated and as per cytogenetic prognostic group, majority (92.1%) of the patients classified as good (81.6%) and intermediate (10.5%) group. The NGS identified 38 different gene mutations in our cohort. Among 111 MDS patients with mutations, the most frequent mutated genes were SF3B1 (25.2%), SRSF2 (19%) U2AF1 (14.4%) ASXL1 (9.9%) RUNX1 (9.9%) TET2 (9%), TP53 (9%), ATM (6.3%), NRAS (5.4%) and JAK2/3 (5.4%). The survival analysis revealed that the mutations in TP53, JAK2/3, KRAS, NRAS and ASXL1 were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with poor survival of the patients. The univariate cox and multivariate cox analysis of our study suggested that the age, marrow morphology, cytogenetic and gene mutations with IPSS-R should be considered for prognosticating the MDS patients. We have proposed M-IPSS-R which changed the risk stratification i.e. 66.3% patients had decreased risk whereas 33.75% showed increased risk compared to IPSS-R. The survival analysis also showed that the M-IPSS-R were more significant in separating the patients as per their risk than the IPSS-R alone. The change in risk stratification could help in proper strategy for the treatment planning.
Project description:Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are uncommon in children and have a poor prognosis. In contrast to adult MDS, little is known about the genomic landscape of pediatric MDS. Here, we describe the somatic and germline changes of pediatric MDS using whole exome sequencing, targeted amplicon sequencing, and/or RNA-sequencing of 46 pediatric primary MDS patients. Our data show that, in contrast to adult MDS, Ras/MAPK pathway mutations are common in pediatric MDS (45% of primary cohort), while mutations in RNA splicing genes are rare (2% of primary cohort). Surprisingly, germline variants in SAMD9 or SAMD9L were present in 17% of primary MDS patients, and these variants were routinely lost in the tumor cells by chromosomal deletions (e.g., monosomy 7) or copy number neutral loss of heterozygosity (CN-LOH). Our data confirm that adult and pediatric MDS are separate diseases with disparate mechanisms, and that SAMD9/SAMD9L mutations represent a new class of MDS predisposition.
Project description:Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are hematopoietic disorders rare in childhood, often occurring in patients with inherited bone marrow failure syndromes or germinal predisposition syndromes. Among the latter, one of the most frequent involves the gene GATA binding protein 2 (GATA2), coding for a transcriptional regulator of hematopoiesis. The genetic lesion as well as the clinical phenotype are extremely variable; many patients present hematological malignancies, especially MDS with the possibility to evolve into acute myeloid leukemia. Variable immune dysfunction, especially resulting in B- and NK-cell lymphopenia, lead to severe infections, including generalized warts and mycobacterial infection. Defects of alveolar macrophages lead to pulmonary alveolar proteinosis through inadequate clearance of surfactant proteins. Currently, there are no clear guidelines for the monitoring and treatment of patients with GATA2 mutations. In patients with MDS, the only curative treatment is allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) that restores normal hematopoiesis preventing the progression to acute myeloid leukemia and clears long-standing infections. However, to date, the donor type, conditioning regimen, and the optimal time to proceed to HSCT, as well as the level of chimerism needed to reverse the phenotype, remain unclear highlighting the need for consensus guidelines.
Project description:The myelodysplastic syndromes are a diverse group of clonal stem cell disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, peripheral cytopenias, and an increased propensity to evolve to acute myeloid leukemia. The molecular pathogenesis of these disorders is poorly understood, but recurring chromosomal abnormalities occur in approximately 50% of cases and are the focus of much investigation. The availability of newer molecular techniques has allowed the identification of additional genetic aberrations, including mutations and epigenetic changes of prognostic and potential therapeutic importance. This review focuses on the key role of cytogenetic analysis in myelodysplastic syndromes in the context of the diagnosis, prognosis, and pathogenesis of these disorders.
Project description:For patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) has become an acceptable alternative donor source in the absence of a matched sibling or unrelated donor. To date, however, there have been few published series dedicated solely to describing the outcomes of adult patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) who have undergone UCBT. Between 2004 and 2013, 176 adults with MDS underwent UCBT as reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research. Median age at the time of transplantation was 56 years (range, 18-73 years). The study group included 10% with very low, 23% with low, 19% with intermediate, 19% with high, and 13% with very high-risk Revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) scores. The 100-day probability of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was 38%, and the 3-year probability of chronic GVHD was 28%. The probabilities of relapse and transplantation-related mortality (TRM) at 3 years were 32% and 40%, respectively, leading to a 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) of 28% and an overall survival (OS) of 31%. In multivariate analysis, increasing IPSS-R score at the time of HCT was associated with inferior TRM (P = .0056), DFS (P = .018), and OS (P = .0082), but not with GVHD or relapse. The presence of pretransplantation comorbidities was associated with TRM (P = .001), DFS (P = .02), and OS (P = .001). Reduced-intensity conditioning was associated with increased risk of relapse (relative risk, 3.95; 95% confidence interval, 1.78-8.75; P < .001), and although a higher proportion of myeloablative UCBTs were performed in patients with high-risk disease, the effect of conditioning regimen intensity was the same regardless of IPSS-R score. For some individuals who lack a matched sibling or unrelated donor, UCBT can result in long-term DFS; however, the success of UCBT in this population is hampered by a high rate of TRM.
Project description:Iron overload may represent an additional clinical problem in patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), with recent data suggesting prognostic implications. Beyond red blood cells transfusions, dysregulation of hepcidin, the key iron hormone, may play a role, but studies until now have been hampered by technical problems. Using a recently validated assay, we measured serum hepcidin in 113 patients with different MDS subtypes. Mean hepcidin levels were consistently heterogeneous across different MDS subtypes, with the lowest levels in refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts (RARS, 1.43 nM) and the highest in refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB, 11.3 nM) or in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML, 10.04 nM) (P = 0.003 by ANOVA). MDS subtypes remained significant predictors of hepcidin in multivariate analyses adjusted for ferritin and transfusion history. Consistently with current knowledge on hepcidin action/regulation, RARS patients had the highest levels of toxic non-transferrin-bound-iron, while RAEB and CMML patients had substantial elevation of C-Reactive Protein as compared to other MDS subtypes, and showed lost of homeostatic regulation by iron. Growth differentiation factor 15 did not appear as a primary hepcidin regulator in this series. If confirmed, these results may help to calibrate future treatments with chelating agents and/or hepcidin modulators in MDS patients.
Project description:High-throughput DNA sequencing significantly contributed to diagnosis and prognostication in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). We determined the biological and prognostic significance of genetic aberrations in MDS. In total, 944 patients with various MDS subtypes were screened for known/putative mutations/deletions in 104 genes using targeted deep sequencing and array-based genomic hybridization. In total, 845/944 patients (89.5%) harbored at least one mutation (median, 3 per patient; range, 0-12). Forty-seven genes were significantly mutated with TET2, SF3B1, ASXL1, SRSF2, DNMT3A, and RUNX1 mutated in >10% of cases. Many mutations were associated with higher risk groups and/or blast elevation. Survival was investigated in 875 patients. By univariate analysis, 25/48 genes (resulting from 47 genes tested significantly plus PRPF8) affected survival (P<0.05). The status of 14 genes combined with conventional factors revealed a novel prognostic model ('Model-1') separating patients into four risk groups ('low', 'intermediate', 'high', 'very high risk') with 3-year survival of 95.2, 69.3, 32.8, and 5.3% (P<0.001). Subsequently, a 'gene-only model' ('Model-2') was constructed based on 14 genes also yielding four significant risk groups (P<0.001). Both models were reproducible in the validation cohort (n=175 patients; P<0.001 each). Thus, large-scale genetic and molecular profiling of multiple target genes is invaluable for subclassification and prognostication in MDS patients.
Project description:Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) arising in the context of inherited bone marrow failure syndromes (IBMFS) differ in terms of prognosis and treatment strategy compared to MDS occurring in the adult population without an inherited genetic predisposition. The main molecular pathways affected in IBMFS involve telomere maintenance, DNA repair, biogenesis of ribosomes, control of proliferation and others. The increased knowledge on the genes involved in MDS pathogenesis and the wider availability of molecular diagnostic assessment have led to an improvement in the detection of IBMFS genetic predisposition in MDS patients. A punctual recognition of these disorders implies a strict surveillance of the patient in order to detect early signs of progression and promptly offer allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, which is the only curative treatment. Moreover, identifying an inherited mutation allows the screening and counseling of family members and directs the choice of donors in case of need for transplantation. Here we provide an overview of the most recent data on MDS with genetic predisposition highlighting the main steps of the diagnostic and therapeutic management. In order to highlight the pitfalls of detecting IBMFS in adults, we report the case of a 27-year-old man affected by MDS with an underlying telomeropathy.
Project description:Control of oxidative stress in the bone marrow (BM) is key for maintaining the balance between self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation of hematopoietic cells. Breakdown of this regulation can lead to diseases characterized by BM failure such as the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). To better understand the role of oxidative stress in MDS development, we compared protein carbonylation as an oxidative stress marker in BM of patients with MDS and control subjects, and also patients with MDS under treatment with the iron chelator deferasirox.