Balanced and unbalanced chromosomal translocations in myelodysplastic syndromes: clinical and prognostic significance

Abstract

Prognostic role of chromosomal translocations (CT) in myelodysplasia (MDS) was retrospectively analyzed in 77 patients from GROM-L registry. Forty (51.9%) balanced, 28 (36.4%) unbalanced and 9 (11.7%) concomitant balanced and unbalanced CT were identified. Five-year overall survival (OS) of the entire cohort was 34.5% (CI 95% 22.5−46.5). Five-year OS of patients with unbalanced CT was significantly shorter than that of patients carrying balanced CT [22.3% (CI 95% 4.0−40.6) vs 44.0% (CI 95% 26.7−61.3) (p = 0.042)]. Five-year OS of patients with CT included in complex karyotype (CK) was significantly shorter than that of patients with isolated CT or CT with another abnormality [5.5% (CI 95% 0−15.7) vs 42.9% (CI 95% 21.3−64.5) and vs 4% (CI 95% 31.6−79.2) (p < 0.001)]. Presence of CT in MDS characterizes a more aggressive outcome only when associated with CK.

Keywords:

• Myelodysplastic syndromes
• karyotype
• chromosomal translocations
• prognosis

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in the present study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).