The MDS Beacon™

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients with skin lesions may have a slightly higher chance of disease progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) according to a recent study conducted by French researchers. 

The study authors pointed out that although the risk of AML transformation was higher for patients with skin lesions, it was not a significant vulnerability. They suggested dermatologists work closely with hematologists to assess skin conditions in patients with MDS. 

Skin lesions differ by diagnosis but are usually characterized by red bumps.  Depending on the diagnosis, they may grow in size or become clusters that are inflamed or develop painful blisters. 

The study by the French researchers was the second to investigate the role of skin lesions in MDS patients.  It was the first to analyze demographic, genetic, and prognostic finding in MDS patients with skin conditions. 

The researchers recorded the progression of disease in 157 primary MDS patients for a median of 44 months.  Primary MDS, which is not linked to exposure to certain chemicals or chemotherapy, accounts for 70 to 80 percent of MDS diagnoses.  

All skin conditions were diagnosed and classified by a microscopic examination, and lesions were examined by a dermatologist every six months. 

Almost 10 percent of patients showed skin lesions associated with MDS, including neutrophilic dermatosis (4.5 percent), specific lesions (3.2 percent), cutaneous vasculitis (1.3 percent) and Behçet disease (0.6 percent).

Most patients (88.4 percent) received treatment throughout the follow-up period. 

During follow-up, a total of approximately 30 percent of patients experienced transformation to AML, and 45 percent of patients died. Fourtyseven percent of patients who had skin lesions progressed to AML, compared to 28 percent of patients who did not have skin conditions. Researchers did not find any difference in survival between patients with or without skin lesions.

Resesarchers also did not find any significant differences between patients with our without lesions in terms of gender, disease sub-type, prognosis, or genetic abnormality.  However, patients with skin lesions were younger than those without skin lesions. 

For more information, please see the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (abstract).