title: Translating the MDS flow cytometric score into clinical practice.
abstract: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are classified by the WHO as myeloid neoplasms, and are characterized by cytopenia and dysplasia in one or more myeloid cell lines. Recently, a flow cytometric score (FCM-score) was published capable of discriminating low-grade MDS from non-clonal cytopenias (Della Porta et al., 2012). We tested the applicability of the FCM-score in a patient population from a large peripheral teaching hospital in The Netherlands. The evaluation of the proposed FCM score in low-grade MDS showed a high sensitivity and specificity, and clinically significant positive and negative likelihood ratios. The use of CD10 and CD19 positivity to identify progenitor B-cell blasts provided a specific and precize method to separate progenitor B-cell blasts from myeloid blasts within the CD34+/low CD45+ population and may be more convenient compared to the published method using low SSC and CD45 expression. This study confirms the value of utilizing the FCM-score in our patient population.
authors.affiliation: Medical Laboratories, Department of Immunology, Reinier de Graaf Groep, Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Michiel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heron
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dovern
authors.forename: Liesbeth E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Bakker-Jonges
authors.forename: Eduardus F M
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Posthuma
authors.forename: Rolf E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Brouwer
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Smedts
authors.forename: Manou R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Batstra
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000276:immunology*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009426:Netherlands; D054448:Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D012107:Research Design; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD
keywords: flow cytometry; immunophenotype; myelodysplastic syndrome