OBJECTIVETo analyze significances of different cytogenetic categories for prognostic stratification in patients with primary myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

METHODSChromosomal abnormalities of 532 primary MDS patients were categorized according to cytogenetic categories of International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS), Revised IPSS (IPSS-R), and German-Austrian (G-A). Prognostic impacts of different cytogenetic categories and frequent isolated anomalies were investigated.

RESULTSOf 532 patients, 346(65%) patients had clonal cytogenetic abnormalities, including 200(38%) patients had 1 abnormality, 61(11%) patients had 2 abnormalities, and 85(16%) patients had complex abnormalities. Trisomy 8 was the most frequent karyotype abnormality, occurring in 31% of the patients with clonal cytogenetic abnormalities, other frequent anomalies were -7/del(7q)(13%), del(20q)(12%), del(5q)(9%), -18(5%), -21(5%), i(17q)(5%), -Y(4%), -17(4%), +21(4%), -13/del(13q)(4%), and -22(4%). The proportion of poor karyotypes of IPSS was higher in RAEBI and RAEBII among the World Health Organization classifications than in subgroups with less than 5% blasts. The follow-up data were available for 310 patients with a median follow-up duration of 14.5 months. Median survival was 59 months for patients with normal karyotypes and 26 months for those with abnormal karyotypes. According to IPSS cytogenetic categories, the median survivals of good-risk subgroup, intermediate-risk subgroup and poor-risk subgroup were 59, 43 and 12 months, respectively (P < 0.01). For IPSS-R cytogenetic groups, the median survivals of good-risk subgroup, intermediate-risk(int-risk) subgroup, poor-risk and very poor-risk subgroup were 59, 36, 15, and 10 months, respectively (P < 0.01). According to G-A classification, the median survivals of good-risk subgroup, int-1-risk subgroup, int-2-risk subgroup and poor-risk subgroup were 59, 44, 15, and 11 months, respectively (P < 0.01). In frequent isolated karyotypic abnormalities, +8 had a median survival of 44 months, i(17q) had a median survival of 12 months, and -7/del(7q) had a median survival of 14 months.

CONCLUSIONIn comparison with IPSS and G-A categories, IPSS-R cytogenetic categories are more sophisticated, and can stratify prognosis effectively, but prognostic significances of some karyotypes in IPSS-R still need to be confirmed.