Age and comorbidities deeply impact on clinical outcome of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes

Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Refractory Anemia With Excess Blasts (RAEB) Who Receive Hypomethylating Agents (HMAs)

BACKGROUND

We sought to understand the clinical effectiveness associated with use of hypomethylating agents (HMAs) azacitidine (AZA) and decitabine (DEC) for patients with refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB; an established proxy for higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes/neoplasms) in contemporary and representative real-world settings.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database, a linkage of cancer registry and Medicare claims data, to identify patients aged ≥ 66 years diagnosed with RAEB, between 2009 and 2017 in the United States, and who received AZA or DEC as first-line therapy. Outcomes measured were overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), and incidence of progression-related acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

RESULTS

Of 973 eligible patients, 738 (75.8%) received AZA and 235 (24.2%) received DEC; 6.4% received hematopoietic cell transplantation during follow-up. In the overall population, median OS was 13.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.9-15.0), median EFS was 5.2 months (95% CI: 4.9-5.7), and 38.0% of patients progressed to AML. Incidences of AML progression and death were 25.6% and 29.9%, respectively, at Year 1, and 34.3% and 44.8%, respectively, at Year 2. There were no significant differences in clinical benefits between AZA and DEC.

CONCLUSION

Median OS with both HMAs remained significantly shorter than in the AZA-001 clinical trial, highlighting how patient outcomes vary between clinical and real-world settings. Further research is required to understand why these disparities exist.

MDS-Comorbidity Index using register data has prognostic impact in Swedish MDS patients

Comorbidities influence the mortality in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, and a growing body of evidence suggest that comorbidity history should be used in addition to established prognostic indices. A comorbidity index specific for MDS, the MDS-CI, was introduced a decade ago. In this study we aim to construct an MDS-CI version based on diagnoses from register data only, to expand its use beyond the clinical setting to retrospective and register based studies. We further test this version on a Swedish population-based MDS cohort of 2947 patients, and compare its prognostic accuracy to that of Charlson Comorbidity Index. Our register based MDS-CI divided patients into three risk groups of similar proportions as have been published for the original MDS-CI. Compared to low risk patients, intermediate and high risk patients had 50 % and 70 % higher mortality, respectively. The prognostic value of MDS-CI was equal to that of Charlson comorbidity index. Adding MDS-CI to the established prognostic factors IPSS-R and age increased the prognostic accuracy. In summary, we demonstrate that MDS-CI can be adequately estimated from diagnoses recorded in registers only, and that it is a useful tool in any future study on myelodysplastic syndromes with a need to adjust for comorbidities.

Treatment patterns in older patients with myelodysplastic syndromes: A population-based analysis reflecting the real world

INTRODUCTION

Treatment for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is complex, options are limited, and insight into consecutive treatments is lacking. We performed this study to assess the outcomes in a real-world cohort of patients with MDS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An observational population-based study was performed using the HemoBase registry. Treatment patterns and overall survival (OS) were analyzed with Kaplan-Meier analyses.

RESULTS

In 144 of 280 (51.4%) patients with MDS >50 years, first-line treatment was initiated. The median age was 75.1 years (range: 52.6-92.0); the majority were male (72.2%). Hypomethylating agents (HMA), intensive chemotherapy, lenalidomide, and erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) were given as first-line treatment to 31.1% (n = 45), 12.5% (n = 18), 2.8% (n = 4), and 53.5% (n = 77) of the population, respectively. The median treatment duration was 5.8 months (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.1-10.4) for HMA, 1.7 months (95%CI: 0.9-2.6) for intensive chemotherapy, 10.8 months (95%CI: 4.7-17.0) for lenalidomide, and 14.8 months (95%CI: 11.4-18.1) for ESA. Consecutive treatments were given to 27.2% of patients. The main reasons for first-line treatment discontinuation were treatment failure (45.8%), toxicity (6.9%), or death (20.1%). Median OS after termination of the initial, second, and third treatment was 5.8 months (95%CI: 3.2-8.5), 9.3 months (95%CI: 0.0-19.6), and 1.0 months (95%CI: 0.0-5.1), respectively.

DISCUSSION

This study shows the treatment outcomes in a real-world population of older patients with MDS. Treatment duration and median OS after treatment discontinuation were relatively limited. There is still an urgent need for new treatment options, strategies to further optimize duration of existing treatments, and communication of realistic treatment goals and expectations, especially for older, higher-risk patients with MDS with a poor prognosis.

Personal history of autoimmune disease and other medical conditions and risk of myelodysplastic syndromes

BACKGROUND

Autoimmune diseases and hematopoietic malignancies are known to cluster within individuals, suggesting intertwined etiologies. A limited number of studies have evaluated pre-existing medical conditions as risk factors for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). We evaluated associations between autoimmune disease and other medical conditions and risk of MDS.

METHODS

Cases were identified through the Minnesota Cancer Reporting System. Controls were identified through the Minnesota State driver's license/identification card list. History of autoimmune disease and other medical conditions was based on self-report; proxy interviews were not conducted. Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS

We included 395 cases and 694 controls. Cases were significantly more likely to report a diagnosis of any autoimmune disease when compared with controls (aOR=1.41, 95% CI: 1.05-1.89) after adjustment for age, sex, education, NSAID use, exposure to benzene and body mass index. When we evaluated specific autoimmune conditions, a statistically significant association was observed for hypothyroidism (aOR=2.16, 95% CI: 1.39-3.34) and odds ratios were elevated for inflammatory bowel disease (aOR=1.75) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; aOR=3.65), although these associations did not reach statistical significance. Presence of an autoimmune condition did not impact overall survival (p = 0.91).

CONCLUSION

Our results validate previous findings of an association between autoimmune disease and MDS. Further studies are required to determine whether this association is due to shared etiology, treatment for autoimmune diseases, or altered immune surveillance or bone marrow damage caused by the autoimmune condition.

Comorbidities and malignancies negatively affect survival in myelodysplastic syndromes: a population-based study

Population-based studies that contain detailed clinical data on patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) are scarce. This study focused on the real-world overall survival (OS) of MDS patients in association with comorbidities, specifically malignancies. An observational population-based study using the HemoBase registry was performed, including all patients with MDS diagnosed between 2005 and 2017 in Friesland, a Dutch province. Detailed information about diagnosis, patient characteristics, previous treatment of malignancies, and comorbidities according to the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was collected from electronic health records. Patients were followed up until June 2019. Kaplan-Meier plots and Cox regression analyses were used to study survival differences. In the 291 patients diagnosed with MDS, the median OS was 25.3 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 20.3-30.2). OS was significantly better for patients with CCI score <4, age <65 years, female sex, and low-risk MDS. Fifty-seven patients (20%) had encountered a prior malignancy (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer), and a majority (38 patients; 67%) were therapy related. Both therapy-related and secondary MDSs were associated with worse OS (hazard ratio, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.02-2.23 and 1.58; 95% CI, 0.95-2.65, respectively), as compared with de novo MDS patients (P = .04). Patients in remission at time of MDS diagnosis had a similar median OS compared with patients with de novo MDS (25.5 vs 28.3 months). This population-based study involving all newly diagnosed MDS patients over a 13-year period in Friesland showed that multiple comorbidities, including previous malignancies, are associated with shorter OS. OS was not related to the use of radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

Comorbidities and frailty predict outcome of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. Should we integrate them in novel prognostic scoring systems?

Prognosis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is based on scoring systems focusing on disease-related factors; however, several studies have shown that patient-related factors might be equally important in prognostication of patients with malignancies in general but also for patients with MDS. The aim of this review was to evaluate the role of comorbidities and frailty as prognostic factors as well as predictive factors of response and tolerability to hypomethylating agents. Both comorbidities and frailty were shown to be predictive of overall survival; however, they mostly correlate with risk for non-leukemic death rather than leukemia-free survival. In patients with higher-risk MDS, comorbidities burden and frailty might be predictive of poor treatment response as well as increased toxicity. In this context, all patients with MDS should be evaluated for comorbidities and frailty at baseline, preferentially using indices validated for MDS. This assessment should guide the selection of treatment. Decision regarding treatment initiation should be based on disease-related factors as captured by the established prognostic scoring systems.

Patients of Myelodysplastic Syndrome with Mild/Moderate Myelofibrosis and a Monosomal Karyotype are Independently Associated with an Adverse Prognosis: Long-Term Follow-Up Data

Purpose

The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients with concomitant mild-to-moderate myelofibrosis (MF), and to assess its independent prognostic role in MDS patients diagnosed by World Health Organization 2016 classification (WHO2016C) with long-term follow-up.

Patients and Methods

A total of 157 patients with primary MDS associated with or without MF were examined retrospectively with long-term follow-up. MF graded as MF-1/MF-2 was defined as "mild/moderate". Cytogenetics testing and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were also conducted in all MDS patients.

Results

Thirty-four (21.7%) of 157 MDS patients had MF. Also, 24 (15.3%) MDS patients based on WHO2016 criteria were defined as MF-1 and 10 (6.4%) as MF-2. MDS patients with MF-1/2 had a higher prevalence of death (p=0.002), leukemic progression (p=0.013), O blood type (p=0.039) as well as less hypercellular proliferation (p<0.001) and less supportive treatment (p=0.003) compared with those without mild/moderate MF. Cytogenetics testing did not show a significant difference between MDS patients with and without MF. Multivariate analyses showed that MF (mild/moderate), a monosomal karyotype (MK) and % bone-marrow blasts were independently associated with shorter overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Age was an independent indicator of the adverse OS of MDS patients. Compared with those without MF, MDS patients with mild/moderate MF were significantly associated with worse OS and PFS in MK-negative subgroups and relatively low-risk Revised International Prognostic Scoring System for Myelodysplastic Syndromes (IPSS-R) stratification in long-term follow-up.

Conclusion

Mild/moderate myelofibrosis and monosomal karyotype are independent indicators of a poor clinical outcome in MDS patients. In long-term follow-up, MDS with mild/moderate MF can be a prognostic marker for MDS patients with a specific MK stratification and IPSS-R stratification.

SF3B1 Mutation but Not Ring Sideroblasts Identifies a Specific Group of Myelodysplastic Syndrome-Refractory Cytopenia With Multilineage Dysplasia

BACKGROUND

Integrating the proportion of ring sideroblasts and SF3B1 mutation status is required for diagnosis of sideroblastic subgroups in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) as proposed by the World Health Organization 2016 classification. However, the clinical implications of SF3B1 mutation and ring sideroblasts in MDS-refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia (MDS-RCMD) remain unclear.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Clinical and laboratory features in 238 MDS-RCMD patients were retrospectively analyzed, and the prognostic significance of SF3B1 mutation and ring sideroblasts on overall survival and leukemia-free survival in total MDS-RCMD patients and different subgroups stratified by the percentage of ring sideroblasts or SF3B1 mutation status were evaluated.

RESULTS

MDS-RCMD patients with ring sideroblasts ≥ 15% showed a significantly higher prevalence of SF3B1 mutation compared to ring sideroblasts 5%-14% or ring sideroblasts < 5% (75.6% vs. 15.1% vs. 6.4%, P < .001). In multivariate analysis, SF3B1 mutation was associated with a significantly prolonged survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.430, P = .013) and reduced leukemic transformation (HR = 0.174, P = .021) in total MDS-RCMD patients, while ring sideroblasts showed no independent effect on either survival or leukemic transformation. There were no significant differences in clinical characteristics or survival between MDS-RCMD patients with ring sideroblasts ≥ 15% and ring sideroblasts 5%-14% in the presence of SF3B1 mutation. Furthermore, SF3B1 mutation showed an independent prognostic effect on overall survival in MDS-RCMD patients with ring sideroblasts 5%-14% (HR = 0.195, P = .046).

CONCLUSION

SF3B1 mutation, not the presence of ring sideroblasts, identifies a distinct subtype and showed independent prognostic value on survival and leukemia transformation in MDS-RCMD patients.

Integrating patient-centered factors in the risk assessment of MDS

Myelodysplastic syndromes are clonal myeloid neoplasms that primarily present in older adults. Although leukemia develops in approximately 25% to 30% of individuals, the significantly shortened survival in this population is attributed more commonly to nonleukemic causes. The current prognostic scoring systems for leukemia and overall survival based on disease characteristics are becoming increasingly sophisticated and accurate with the incorporation of molecular data. The addition of patient-related factors such as comorbidity, disability, frailty, and fatigue to these new models may improve their predictive power for overall survival, treatment toxicity, and health care costs. To improve the generalizability of clinical trial results to the real world, geriatric assessment testing should become a standard of care in MDS clinical trials.

Gender disparity in the survival of patients with primary myelodysplastic syndrome

Several prognostic scoring systems have been developed to assess prognosis in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). However, currently there are no systems that list gender as a prognostic factor. We queried a National Cancer Institute database to investigate the prognostic influence of gender on the survival of patients with MDS. We first identified 34,681 qualified patients diagnosed with MDS from 2001-2014 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, and then analyzed the characteristics of these patients using chi-squared tests. The Kaplan-Meier method and the multivariate Cox regression model were used to examine whether gender disparity in the survival of patients with MDS existed. We found that male patients had higher incidence rate of MDS (55.3% vs 44.7%, P<0.001) and a significant survival disadvantage (27.6% vs 33.6%, P<0.001) compared to female patients. Moreover, the less favorable survival rate of male MDS patients was associated with the age at diagnosis, race, marital status at diagnosis and the histological subtypes including refractory anemia (RA), refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia (RCMD), myelodysplastic associated with isolated del 5q (MDS 5q-), myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm (MDS/MPN) and not otherwise specified (NOS). In conclusion, gender can be considered as an independent prognostic factor for the overall survival of patients with MDS.

Hidden myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS): A prospective study to confirm or exclude MDS in patients with anemia of uncertain etiology

INTRODUCTION

Diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) when anemia is the only abnormality can be complicated. The aim of our study was to investigate the primary causes of anemia and/or macrocytosis of uncertain etiology.

METHODS

We conducted a multicenter, prospective study over 4 months in three hematology laboratories. In step 1, we used an automated informatics system to screen 137 453 hemograms for cases of anemia and/or macrocytosis (n = 2702). In step 2, we excluded all patients whose anemia appeared to be due to a known cause. This left 290 patients had anemia of uncertain etiology. In step 3, we conducted further investigations, including a peripheral blood smear, and analysis of iron, vitamin B12, folate, and thyroid hormone levels.

RESULTS

A differential diagnosis was obtained in 139 patients (48%). The primary causes of anemia were iron deficiency (n = 59) and megaloblastic anemia (n = 39). In total, 25 hematologic disorders were diagnosed, including 14 patients with MDS (56%). The median age of MDS patients was 80 years, 12 had anemia as an isolated cytopenia, and most (n = 10) had lower-risk disease (IPSS-R ≤ 3.5). SF3B1 mutations were most frequent (n = 6) and correlated with the presence of ring sideroblasts (100%) and associated with better prognosis (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our prospective, four-step approach is an efficient and logical strategy to facilitate the diagnosis of MDS on the basis of unexplained anemia and/or macrocytosis, and may allow the early diagnosis of the most serious causes of anemia. Molecular analysis of genes related to MDS could be a promising diagnostic and prognostic approach.

Prognostic scoring systems for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) in a population-based setting: a report from the Swedish MDS register

The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have highly variable outcomes and prognostic scoring systems are important tools for risk assessment and to guide therapeutic decisions. However, few population-based studies have compared the value of the different scoring systems. With data from the nationwide Swedish population-based MDS register we validated the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS), revised IPSS (IPSS-R) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification-based Prognostic Scoring System (WPSS). We also present population-based data on incidence, clinical characteristics including detailed cytogenetics and outcome from the register. The study encompassed 1329 patients reported to the register between 2009 and 2013, 14% of these had therapy-related MDS (t-MDS). Based on the MDS register, the yearly crude incidence of MDS in Sweden was 2·9 per 100 000 inhabitants. IPSS-R had a significantly better prognostic power than IPSS (P < 0·001). There was a trend for better prognostic power of IPSS-R compared to WPSS (P = 0·05) and for WPSS compared to IPSS (P = 0·07). IPSS-R was superior to both IPSS and WPSS for patients aged ≤70 years. Patients with t-MDS had a worse outcome compared to de novo MDS (d-MDS), however, the validity of the prognostic scoring systems was comparable for d-MDS and t-MDS. In conclusion, population-based studies are important to validate prognostic scores in a 'real-world' setting. In our nationwide cohort, the IPSS-R showed the best predictive power.

Assessing Quality of Care for the Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Measuring the quality of care for patients with chronic cancers is difficult, especially for heterogeneous malignancies such as the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Recent work suggests that improvements may be needed in the quality of diagnostic, treatment, and end-of-life care for patients with these syndromes. Moreover, rigorous assessment of factors that are necessary to deliver high-quality care such as preferred method of decision-making and pre-treatment quality of life are often overlooked. Finally, a key component of quality care is that it is received equitably across different patient populations, yet several recent studies suggest that there are financial, educational, race-ethnic, and age-related barriers to equitable MDS care.

Multidimensional assessment of patient condition and mutational analysis in peripheral blood, as tools to improve outcome prediction in myelodysplastic syndromes: A prospective study of the Spanish MDS group

The International Prognostic Scoring System and its revised form (IPSS-R) are the most widely used indices for prognostic assessment of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), but can only partially account for the observed variation in patient outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the relative contribution of patient condition and mutational status in peripheral blood when added to the IPSS-R, for estimating overall survival and the risk of leukemic transformation in patients with MDS. A prospective cohort (2006-2015) of 200 consecutive patients with MDS were included in the study series and categorized according to the IPSS-R. Patients were further stratified according to patient condition (assessed using the multidimensional Lee index for older adults) and genetic mutations (peripheral blood samples screened using next-generation sequencing). The change in likelihood-ratio was tested in Cox models after adding individual covariates. The addition of the Lee index to the IPSS-R significantly improved prediction of overall survival [hazard ratio (HR) 3.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.96-4.66, P < 0.001), and mutational analysis significantly improved prediction of leukemic evolution (HR 2.64, 1.56-4.46, P < 0.001). Non-leukemic death was strongly linked to patient condition (HR 2.71, 1.72-4.25, P < 0.001), but not to IPSS-R score (P = 0.35) or mutational status (P = 0.75). Adjustment for exposure to disease-modifying therapy, evaluated as a time-dependent covariate, had no effect on the proposed model's predictive ability. In conclusion, patient condition, assessed by the multidimensional Lee index and patient mutational status can improve the prediction of clinical outcomes of patients with MDS already stratified by IPSS-R.

DNA repair gene expressions are related to bone marrow cellularity in myelodysplastic syndrome

Objective

To evaluate the expression of genes related to nuclear excision (ERCC8, XPA and XPC), homologous recombination and non-homologous end-joining (ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2 and LIG4) repair mechanisms, using quantitative PCR methodologies, and it relation with bone marrow cellularity in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

Methods and results

A total of 51 adult de novo patients with MDS (3 refractory anaemia (RA), 11 refractory anaemia with ringed sideroblasts (RARS), 28 refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia (RCMD), 3 refractory anaemia with excess blasts type I (RAEB-I), 5 refractory anaemia with excess blasts type II (RAEB-II), and 1 chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) were evaluated. For karyotype, 16.2% patients were defined as very low prognosis, 59.5% low risk, 8.1% intermediate risk, 5.4% high risk and 10.8% very high risk. For bone marrow cellularity, 17.6%, 17.6% and 64.7% presented as hypocellular, normocellular and hypercellular, respectively. Patients with hypocellular MDS had significantly decreased expression of ATM (p=0.000), BRCA1 (p=0.014), BRCA2 (p=0.003), LIG4 (p=0.004) and ERCC8 (p=0.000) than those with normocellular/hypercellular bone marrow, whereas XPA (p=0.049) and XPC (p=0.000) genes were increased. In patients with hypoplastic MDS, a low expression of ATM (p=0.0268), LIG4 (p=0.0199) and ERCC8 (p=0.0493) was significantly associated with the presence of chromosomal abnormalities. We detected positive correlations between BRCA1 and BRCA2 (r=0.416; p=0.007), ATM and LIG4 (r=0.472; p=0.001), LIG4 and BRCA1 (r=0.333; p=0.026), LIG4 and BRCA2 (r=0.334; p=0.025), ATM and XPA (r=0.377; p=0.008), ATM and XPC (r=0.287; p=0.046), LIG4 and XPC (r=0.371; p=0.007) and XPA and XPC genes (r=0.895; p=0.0000). We also found among all patients evaluated that correlation with LIG4 occurred most often.

Conclusions

These correlations demonstrate the important intrinsic relations between single and double DNA strand breaks genes in MDS, emphasising that these genes are related to MDS pathogenesis.

Myelodysplastic Syndromes and Acute Myeloid Leukemia in the Elderly

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are hematologic diseases that frequently affect older adults. Treatment is challenging. Management of older adults with MDS and AML needs to be individualized, accounting for both the heterogeneity of disease biology and patient characteristics, which can influence life expectancy and treatment tolerance. Clinical trials accounting for the heterogeneity of tumor biology and physiologic changes of aging are needed to define optimal standards of care. This article highlights key evidence related to the management of older adults with MDS and AML and highlights future directions for research.

Integrating Frailty, Comorbidity, and Quality of Life in the Management of Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of acquired hematopoietic stem cell disorders that manifest with progressive bone marrow failure and have a propensity to transform into leukemia. Although an increase in biologic understanding of MDS has led to improved patient risk stratification and prognostication, advances in treatment have lagged behind. While hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a potentially curative option for some, most affected patients continue to be treated with supportive care or with drugs that offer temporary palliation such as hematopoietic growth factors, DNA hypomethylating agents, or immunomodulatory therapy. For several groups, such as those with intermediate-risk disease as classified by the Revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) or those with higher-risk disease for whom hypomethylating agents have failed, optimal treatment remains uncertain. Inclusion of patient-related factors such as frailty and comorbid conditions into risk assessment can improve prognostication beyond the disease-associated variables included in systems such as the IPSS-R. This article focuses on approaches to assessing and integrating frailty, comorbidities, and quality of life into the treatment of patients with MDS.