Organ Transplantation Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Organ Transplantation, including details on risks, prognosis, procedure, surgery.

The spectrum of myelodysplastic syndromes post-solid organ transplantation: a single institutional experience.

Menes M, Vakiani E, Keller CE, Ho EK, Colovai A, Nichols G, Diuguid D, Mears JG, Murty VV, Alobeid B, Bhagat G

Department of Pathology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.

An increased incidence of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has recently been documented in patients post-solid organ transplantation but the incidence and types of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) occurring in this patient population are not known. We identified 5 patients (3M, 2F, age 48-64 years) who developed MDS ranging from 1.8 to 25 years (median 4.2 years) post-solid organ transplantation, only 2 patients had received azathioprine. The cumulative incidence of MDS in heart and lung transplant recipients at 15 years was 0.5% and 1.8%, respectively, which is markedly higher compared to the general population. Low-risk types of MDS predominated, 3 of 5 patients are alive (median 3.9 years) since diagnosis. Deletions of chromosome 20q, which have not been previously reported in post-transplant MDS/AML, were identified in 3 cases. Our findings expand the morphologic and cytogenetic spectrum of MDS occurring post-solid organ transplantation and suggest that mechanisms beside azathioprine toxicity might be important in disease pathogenesis.

Published 19 November 2006 in Leuk Res, 31(1): 59-65.
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