title: Diagnostic Utility of Flow Cytometry in Myelodysplastic Syndromes.
abstract: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are clonal disorders of hematopoiesis that exhibit heterogeneous clinical presentation and morphological findings, which complicates diagnosis, especially in early stages. Recently, refined definitions and standards in the diagnosis and treatment of MDS were proposed, but numerous questions remain. Multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) is a helpful tool for the diagnostic workup of patients with suspected MDS, and various scores using MFC data have been developed. However, none of these methods have achieved the sensitivity that is required for a reassuring diagnosis in the absence of morphological abnormalities. One reason may be that each score evaluates one or two lineages without offering a broad view of the dysplastic process. The combination of two scores (e.g., Ogata and Red Score) improved the sensitivity from 50-60 to 88%, but the positive (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) must be improved. There are prominent differences between study groups when these scores are tested. Further research is needed to maximize the sensitivity of flow cytometric analysis in MDS. This review focuses on the application of flow cytometry for MDS diagnosis and discusses the advantages and limitations of different approaches.
authors.affiliation: CNRS UMR5239, Université de Lyon, Saint-Etienne, France; Laboratoire d'Hématologie, CHU de Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France.
authors.forename: Carmen Mariana
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Aanei
authors.affiliation: CNRS UMR5239, Université de Lyon, Saint-Etienne, France; Laboratoire d'Hématologie, CHU de Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France.
authors.forename: Tiphanie
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Picot
authors.affiliation: CNRS UMR5239, Université de Lyon, Saint-Etienne, France; Institut de Cancérologie Lucien Neuwirth, Saint Priest en Jarez, France.
authors.forename: Emmanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tavernier
authors.affiliation: CNRS UMR5239, Université de Lyon, Saint-Etienne, France; Institut de Cancérologie Lucien Neuwirth, Saint Priest en Jarez, France.
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guyotat
authors.affiliation: CNRS UMR5239, Université de Lyon, Saint-Etienne, France; Laboratoire d'Hématologie, CHU de Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Campos Catafal
keywords: FCSS scores; myelodysplastic syndromes; myeloid maturation patterns; phenotypic aberrancies related to dysplasia; prognostic value of immunophenotypic scores