Review: Scientific advances in myelodysplastic syndromes

The latest series of review articles in the Blood Journal provides a comprehensive overview of the current landscape of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), highlighting recent advances in biological and clinical science.

In the introduction to the series, Bob Löwenberg, M.D., Ph.D., discusses advances in the diagnostic process and treatment beyond traditional approaches to care.

Articles in the series include:

Treatment of MDS

  • State-of-the-art approaches to MDS treatment and upcoming therapeutic options   

MDS overlap disorders and diagnostic boundaries

  • A focus on “precision diagnostics” and the diagnostic issues of defining MDS relative to other “boundary” conditions

The mesenchymal niche in MDS

  • An exploration of the marrow niche and underlying mechanisms initiating or supporting the development of MDS 

The central role of inflammatory signaling in the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndromes

  • An examination of the inflammatory and innate immune signals that may act as strong pathogenetic MDS drivers 

Genetics of MDS

  • An analysis of molecular drivers and patterns of disease evolution, and their correlation with clinical disease phenotypes

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia: who’s the driver at the wheel?

  • Significant genomic and epigenomic insights into the origin of juvenile chronic myelomonocytic leukemia  

Genetic  predisposition to MDS: clinical features and clonal evolution

  • The ever-growing area of clinically relevant hereditary MDS knowledge