Trisomy 11 In Myelodysplastic Syndromes May Be An Indicator Of Higher-Risk MDS And Shorter Survival
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients with trisomy 11 were observed to have a shorter overall survival rate than other patients in the intermediate-risk MDS category and may represent a higher-risk category of MDS according to a comparison study recently published in the journal Leukemia.
The study authors speculated that MDS with trisomy 11 may represent an early evolving stage of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) rather than simply intermediate-risk MDS, due to the high frequency of transformation into AML.
The chromosomal abnormality known as trisomy 11 in MDS patients is rare, and its impact on disease progression is not yet fully understood. However, there is evidence that it may be an indicator of a more aggressive form of MDS and associated with a poor prognosis. MDS with trisomy 11 is currently classified as intermediate-risk MDS.
“Trisomy 11 is very rare and there were no studies except a few case reports out there. People do not understand the significance,” said Dr. Sa Wang, a study author. “MDS has so many different cytogenetic alterations and most are classified under the intermediate category. It makes people aware that not all “intermediate” MDS are born equal.”
The study examined 17 MDS patients from a hematological database with trisomy 11 either as a single abnormality or in conjunction with two or more other chromosomal abnormalities. Overall survival of the trisomy 11 patients was compared with that of the general MDS population within the database. The median age of the group was 71.
Following diagnosis, the patients in the study group had received both supportive care as well as other treatment agents, including thalidomide (Thalomid), Vidaza (azacitidine), and Dacogen (decitabine).
The median overall survival of the trisomy 11 patients was 14 months. The general intermediate-risk MDS population was observed to have a median overall survival of 28 months. The survival rate for trisomy 11 patients was more similar to high-risk MDS, which is associated with a median survival of 10 months according to researchers.
Eleven patients (69 percent) progressed to AML within a median of five months.
Researchers concluded that MDS with trisomy 11 should be classified as high-risk MDS instead of its current classification as intermediate-risk. They added that as such it requires a more aggressive treatment course.
For more information, please see the study in the journal Leukemia (abstract).
Related Articles:
- The Percent Of Abnormal Cells May Be An Indicator For Disease Prognosis In MDS Patients With Trisomy 8
- Estybon May Be Effective As Salvage Therapy For Higher-Risk MDS Patients And Patients With Trisomy 8
- Trisomy 14 Is Not Linked To Poorer Prognosis In Myelodysplastic Syndromes Patients
- Researchers Observe High Survival Time For Myelodysplastic Syndromes Patients With Deletion 5q (ASH 2009)
- Mutations In Chromosome 7 Are Associated With Better MDS Prognosis Than Other Chromosomal Abnormalities (ASH 2010)
My mother has MDS with Trisomy 11. She is just now finishing her second treatment in the hospital. My question is, her count levels are not going up as fast as her first treatment levels went up. Is this normal for second time treatment?
Yesterday, her count was 63 and today her levels were 72. Thanks for any info you might give me.
Brian Bering, your best bet for help is the following forum:
http://forums.marrowforums.org
Best of luck to you and your mother.
Dear Brian,
Dr. Mikkael Sekeres from the Cleveland Clinic said, “It can be absolutely normal for blood counts to take longer to recover following a second treatment compared to a first, particularly if the second treatment was started when the blood counts were lower compared to prior to the first treatment. If you are talking about platelet counts, there is not much difference between 63 and 72 – may just be lab variability.”
I have a trisomy eleven daughter she is 28 years old…She has out lived her lifespan…If any one wants info…let me know…
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