[Hematologic response predictor factors in adults with myelodysplastic syndromes (SMD) treated with cyclosporin A...

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are clonal diseases of hematopoietic cells. The International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) is the risk scale most employed in MDS. Cyclosporin A (CsA) has been used in the treatment of cytopenias in MDS.

To evaluate hematologic response and identify response predictive factors in adults with MDS treated with CsA.

Patients with MDS diagnosed according World Health Organization (WHO) classification were recruited from January 1997 to June 2012. All patients were classified with IPSS, IPSS revised (IPSS-R),WHO Prognostic Scoring System (WPSS), and WPSS revised (WPSS-R) risk scales. Cyclosporin A was administered orally at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day. Hematologic response was evaluated following the International Working Group for MDS (2006 version) criteria.

Inclusion criteria were met by 32 patients. Median age was 56.5 years, with a median follow-up of 3.1 years. Hematologic response was 56.2% and erythrocyte independence transfusion was found in 42.9% of patients. Age,hemoglobin level, and WPSS at diagnosis were independent predictive factors for CsA response. Survival was longer in responder than in nonresponder CsA patients (p=0.06).

Cyclosporin A induced hematologic response in >50% of patients with MDS aged <57 years, with Hb<8 g/dl and low WPSS at diagnosis.