New Scoring System Predicts Risk of Developing Cancer from Common Blood Disorder

Clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS) is a blood disorder commonly found in older adults, characterized by mutations in blood cells and a low blood count, but without any obvious cause or blood cancer. Although the exact cause of CCUS remains unclear, studies have shown that it can often progress into blood cancer. Patients with CCUS are at a tenfold increased risk of developing conditions such as myelodysplastic syndromes or acute myeloid leukemia. Now, researchers have developed a new method to predict the likelihood of cancer development in individuals with CCUS.

An international team of researchers led by Northwestern University (Evanston, IL, USA) conducted a study involving over 350 patients with CCUS. By analyzing the genetic mutations, low blood counts, and corresponding outcomes, the scientists created a scoring system aimed at better risk stratification and predicting the potential for blood cancer development. The team then validated their model with a separate group of 100 CCUS patients, finding that it accurately predicted the risk of blood cancer. The results, published in the journal Blood, demonstrate that this risk scoring system can help identify which patients are most likely to develop cancer, potentially allowing for early intervention in the future. Going forward, the researchers plan to integrate this scoring system into future clinical trials for CCUS patients.

“The take-home message from this is that there are three major predictors of outcomes in these patients,” said Yasmin Abaza, MD, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, who was a co-author of the study. “If you have particular mutations, we call them splicing factor mutations, which are one of the major weights in determining prognosis. Also, if you have a platelet count of less than 100. The third is having two or more genetic mutations.”

“This scoring system has not been adopted yet, but hopefully as we have more patients and further validate and compare it to other scoring systems, later on it could be implemented clinically,” Abaza added.

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