[Myelodysplastic syndrome--a retrospective study of 38 patients]

38 patients diagnosed as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) were retrospectively evaluated for clinical course, prognostic factors, diagnostical power of cytology and histology and relevance of hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndrome. Median observation time was 14.5 (0 to 104) months. 15 patients (40%) developed an acute myelogenous leukemia after two to 67 (median eleven) months. Prognosis was negatively influenced by age, suggested myelotoxic agents in prior history and leukemia in first-grade relatives as well as ESR greater than or equal to 30 mm Hg (first hour). FAB-classification and Bournemouth-score reflected prognosis in respect to survival time and development of an acute leukemia. Cytology and histology revealed contradictory results in four of 14 comparable cases (28.6%). Hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndrome was diagnosed by histology in seven out of eight cases. This entity showed significantly lower WBC-values and a considerable longer survival time.