According to an article from Cancer Therapy Advisor, medical professionals have created a new, simplified prognostic score for patients affected by myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). This score utilizes multiparametric flow cytometry (FCM)–based immunophenotyping and is easier to incorporate into clinical practice than prior scores.
About Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
MDS are a group of conditions that stop the bone marrow from producing the correct amount of blood cells. Medical professionals aren’t exactly sure why this happens, but they suspect that a genetic predisposition plays a role, as do environmental triggers like chemotherapy or exposure to certain chemicals. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, heart palpitations, pale skin, easy bruising and bleeding, and being more prone to infection. MDS also often progresses into acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
About the Prognostic Score
This new, simpler prognostic score was developed in a study that has been published in Scientific Reports. Conducted in Campinas, Brazil, 95 patients were enrolled in this study, all of whom had been diagnosed with MDS between the years 2005 and 2012. Every patient was followed for a minimum of one month and assessed for disease risk on the Revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) as well.
Researchers used FCM on participants’ bone marrow samples and characterized them based on a number of factors including classical monocytes, the percentages of B-cell progenitors and CD34 myeloblasts, and the side-scattered light (SSC) granulocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio, among others. These numbers were then compared to samples from healthy donors.
After 42 months, researchers were able to see that three FCM-based factors – the ratio of CD16-positive monocytes to total nucleated cells, the percentage of CD34 myeloblasts, and the percentage of B-cell progenitor cells – are independently predictive of survival.
In terms of the prognostic score, patients can score anywhere from zero to three, with a higher score indicating a worse prognosis. A point is given for each of the following:
- The presence of no less than 1% CD16-positive monocytes to total nucleated cells
- B-cell progenitor cells less than 0.05%
- 2% CD34 myeloblasts or higher
While the researchers acknowledged that their study needs to be replicated, they believe that this prognostic score is valuable to determining prognosis in MDS patients.
