title: Application of the International Prognostic Scoring System for myelodysplastic syndromes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In March 1997 an international workshop introduced a new International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) for MDS. The goal of the present study was to apply the IPSS to a large group of MDS patients from one centre and to compare it to the FAB-classification.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred eighty-four MDS patients were included on the basis of similar criteria as used by the workshop but some of them (30) received AML-type therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The IPSS separated our patients into distinctive prognostic subgroups (P = 0.0001). Median survival was respectively 6.5, 2.6, 1.3 and 0.75 years for the low-risk (22% of patients), the intermediate-1-risk (INT-1) (46%), the intermediate-2-risk (INT-2) (25%) and the high-risk group (7%). The IPSS also discriminated within each of the FAB-categories: RA patients (58 patients) were present in low-risk, INT-1-risk and INT-2-risk subgroups, RARS patients (23) were separated into low-risk and INT-1-risk subgroups. RAEB patients (53) were distributed predominantly between INT-1-risk and INT-2-risk groups, RAEB-t patients (23) between INT-2-risk and high-risk subgroups. CMML patients (27) were present in the low-risk, the INT-1-risk and the INT-2-risk group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results confirm the effectiveness of the IPSS in predicting clinical outcome in MDS patients and indicate that it is an improved method compared to the FAB-classification.
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Genetics, K.U. Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meeus
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Michaux
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bijnens
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boogaerts
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hagemeijer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Wolf-Peeters
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Verhoef
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005910:Glioma / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome