Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- 1 Molecular pathology of leukemia
- 2 Management of acute myeloid leukemia
- 3 Treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adults
- 4 Chronic myeloid leukemia
- 5 Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma
- 6 Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
- 7 Hairy cell leukemia
- 8 Acute promyelocytic leukemia: pathophysiology and clinical results update
- 9 Myeloproliferative neoplasms
- 10 Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, smoldering multiple myeloma, and multiple myeloma
- 11 Amyloidosis and other rare plasma cell dyscrasias
- 12 Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia/lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma
- 13 WHO classification of lymphomas
- 14 Molecular pathology of lymphoma
- 15 International staging and response criteria for lymphomas
- 16 Treatment approach to diffuse large B-cell lymphomas
- 17 Mantle cell lymphoma
- 18 Follicular lymphomas
- 19 Hodgkin lymphoma: epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment
- 20 Treatment approaches to MALT/marginal zone lymphoma
- 21 Peripheral T-cell lymphomas
- 22 Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome
- 23 Central nervous system lymphoma
- 24 HIV-related lymphomas
- 25 Lymphoblastic lymphoma
- 26 Burkitt lymphoma
- Index
- References
6 - Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 January 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- 1 Molecular pathology of leukemia
- 2 Management of acute myeloid leukemia
- 3 Treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adults
- 4 Chronic myeloid leukemia
- 5 Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma
- 6 Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
- 7 Hairy cell leukemia
- 8 Acute promyelocytic leukemia: pathophysiology and clinical results update
- 9 Myeloproliferative neoplasms
- 10 Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, smoldering multiple myeloma, and multiple myeloma
- 11 Amyloidosis and other rare plasma cell dyscrasias
- 12 Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia/lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma
- 13 WHO classification of lymphomas
- 14 Molecular pathology of lymphoma
- 15 International staging and response criteria for lymphomas
- 16 Treatment approach to diffuse large B-cell lymphomas
- 17 Mantle cell lymphoma
- 18 Follicular lymphomas
- 19 Hodgkin lymphoma: epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment
- 20 Treatment approaches to MALT/marginal zone lymphoma
- 21 Peripheral T-cell lymphomas
- 22 Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome
- 23 Central nervous system lymphoma
- 24 HIV-related lymphomas
- 25 Lymphoblastic lymphoma
- 26 Burkitt lymphoma
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of hematopoietic stem cell disorders which are distinguished by cytopenias in the face of hypercellular marrows and dysplastic hematopoietic cell lines. Up into the 1970s MDS have been called “preleukemia” expressing the proximity of MDS to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and their capacity to evolve into AML over time. Although MDS is the currently accepted term, the pathophysiology of MDS varies widely extending from abnormalities of apoptosis and differentiation to proliferation and maturation arrest. It is nowadays also better understood that there are notable differences between MDS and AML, a separation which is also underlined by the clinical manifestations and prognosis of MDS, which are primarily determined by cytopenias and not leukemic transformation. The complexity of pathophysiology and resultant heterogeneity of prognosis have led to several recent attempts to fine tune criteria for diagnosis and classification. In addition, recent years have also seen important advances of treatment with respect to hematopoietic growth factors, iron chelation, and particularly epigenetic therapy and immunomodulatory inhibitory derivatives (e.g., lenalidomide). These developments have made the care of patients with MDS more demanding but at the same time more satisfying as the possibilities for patients with MDS are now larger than before.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Management of Hematologic Malignancies , pp. 103 - 115Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010