Using tobacco products has a negative impact on the prognosis of patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes, according to a recent U. S. study. The study investigators did not observe this impact in higher-risk patients.

Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that tobacco use may influence the biology of the disease and suggested that lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients may improve their outcomes if they discontinue any tobacco use.

The study results were presented during a poster session at the 2011 American Society of Hematology meeting last month.

Previous studies…

In a recent study, researchers identified smoking as a predictor of poor survival among male, low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes patients.

The study authors suggested that the cessation of smoking is particularly important to convey to these patients, and they encouraged patients to be candid about their smoking habits with their physicians.

In past studies, researchers have analyzed potential predictors, including demographic and clinical indicators, for survival among myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients.

Lifestyle choices, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, are risk factors for many diseases. Smoking has been shown to be…

A newly published research review concludes that smoking is associated with an increased risk of developing myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).  The review also examines the potential impact of alcohol consumption on developing MDS, but finds no conclusive link between the two.

The review, carried out by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, Amgen, the Cleveland Clinic, and SUNY Downstate, is a meta-analysis of data from ten independent studies carried out in Japan, Europe, and the United States.  The authors of the new review statistically combine the data from the ten previous…

Researchers from the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut have reported findings that implicate obesity and smoking as significant risk factors for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). This is the first study ever to evaluate lifestyle factors as possible causes of MDS.

Researchers collaborated with the National Institutes of Health American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Diet and Health Study, an organization that involves more than 560,000 men and women across the United States. Members between 50 and 71 years of age residing in six states (California, Florida, Louisiana,…