We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Download Mobile App




Identifying Low-Risk MDS Patients With Poor Survival Prospects

By Labmedica staff writers
Posted on 03 Jan 2008
A new scoring system for a form of leukemia known as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) identifies patients who appear to have low-risk disease but actually have poor prospects of survival.

Physicians tend to adopt a watch and wait approach to low-risk MDS patients, which can miss low-risk/poor prognosis patients. More...
Myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of conditions that cause insufficient production of blood cells, which is often lethal. About 10 % of patients have their MDS transform into acute myelogenous leukemia.

Dr. Guillermo Garcia-Manero, M.D., associate professor in the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX, USA) and colleagues examined a number of potential molecular and demographic markers to develop a prognostic scoring system for this group by applying them to 856 patients treated at M. D. Anderson between 1976 and 2005. All were rated low or intermediate risk by the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS), the mainstay model.

They found that a combination of older age, low platelet counts, anemia, a higher percentage of cancerous cells, or blasts, in the bone marrow and poor-risk cytogenetics (aberrant chromosomes) divided the 856 patients into three clearly defined groups: 182 patients who had few of these characteristics (category 1) had a median survival of 80.3 months; 408 patients who fell into category 2, an intermediate score, had a median survival of 26.6 months; and 265 patients with the highest score who had a median survival of 14.2 months. When IPSS was applied to the same patients, it failed to segregate patients with low or intermediate risk into the new test's risk categories.

In the past three years, therapy for MDS has improved significantly, with approval of three new drugs: lenalidomide, a thalidomide derivative indicated for some patients, and two demethylating agents that turn on genes by removing chemical off switches that block gene expression.


Related Links:
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

New
Gold Member
Serological Pipets
INTEGRA Serological Pipets
Serological Pipet Controller
PIPETBOY GENIUS
New
Specimen Radiography System
TrueView 200 Pro
New
Automatic Hematology Analyzer
LABAS F9000
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The VeraBIND Tau assay is a novel blood test that identifies the presence of active tau pathology (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

First Blood-Based Test Measures Key Alzheimer's Biomarker in Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Individuals

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, affects an estimated 7.2 million Americans aged 65 or older. Current diagnostic methods for AD are often invasive, expensive,... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The microfluidic device for passive separation of platelet-rich plasma from whole blood (Photo courtesy of University of the Basque Country)

Portable and Disposable Device Obtains Platelet-Rich Plasma Without Complex Equipment

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) plays a crucial role in regenerative medicine due to its ability to accelerate healing and repair tissue. However, obtaining PRP traditionally requires expensive centrifugation... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The 3D paper-based analytical device has shown high clinical accuracy for adult-onset immunodeficiency (Photo courtesy of National Taiwan University)

Paper-Based Device Accurately Detects Immune Defects in 10 Minutes

Patients with hidden immune defects are especially vulnerable to severe and persistent infections, often due to autoantibodies that block interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), a key molecule in immune defense.... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: Researchers have developed a novel method to analyze tumor growth rates (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Novel Method To Analyze Tumor Growth Rates Helps Tracks Progression Between Diagnosis and Surgery

Patients diagnosed with breast cancer often worry about how quickly their tumors grow while they wait for surgery, and whether delays in treatment might allow the disease to spread beyond the point of cure.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.