Evaluation of the Clinical Significance of Immunophenotyping in Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

The myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a clonal hematologic disorder with extremely heterogeneous cell component. Diagnosis is currently depending on the dysplastic morphology of bone marrow cells and the presence of specific cytogenetic abnormalities. Since no specific marker could be identified in MDS, it is sometimes hard to distinguish from other anemias, such as aplastic anemia (AA). The cell immunotype may be helpful in differential diagnosis and predicting the disease progress. To evaluate the clinical usage of immunotyping in MDS patients, we have compared the immunotypes between 36 MDS patients, 18 patients with AA and 11 healthy controls by using flow cytometry. Moreover, in combination with karyotype analysis and prognosis indicator IPSS, the value of immunotyping was further analyzed and discussed.