[Hematological study in 27 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)]

The clinical, histologic, and cytogenetic features of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) were analyzed in 27 patients consisting of 21 males and 6 females (M: F ratio = 3.5:1) whose median age was 60.9 years. Analysis of the peripheral blood of the patients revealed pancytopenia (8 patients), bicytopenia (12), and cytopenia in one cell lineage (5). The patients had high serum iron value and low UIBC value. More than 20% of all erythroid cells in the bone marrow consisted of ringed sideroblasts in not only RARS patients but also RAEB, CMMoL, and RAEB-T patients. Morphological changes of the bone marrow cells were observed in patients with all types of MDS. Eighty percent and 60% of RAEB and RAEB-T patients, respectively, showed trilineage myelodysplasia. Chromosomal abnormalities were observed in 52% of MDS patients. The rate of leukemic transformation was high in RAEB, CMMoL, and RAEB-T patients.