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Measuring the prognostic impact of ferritin levels in myelodysplastic syndrome patients: the role of susceptibility biases

Leukemia volume 24, pages 640–642 (2010)Cite this article

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) refers to a heterogeneous group of clonal disorders characterized by an impaired hematopoiesis and a variable risk of transformation to acute leukemia. Until lately, most patients have been managed with supportive care, but recent advances in understanding the pathogenesis of MDS have led to innovative therapies for certain subgroups.

An inverse relationship was reported between maximum serum ferritin concentration during follow-up and median overall survival.1 Nevertheless, whether iron overload is a surrogate marker of the severity of the disease or affects the outcome independently by end-organ damage is still controversial.2 Tefferi and Stone3 expressed, in a recent Editorial in this Journal, their concerns about the true weight of iron overload in the survival of MDS patients.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hematology and Clinical Oncology Department, University Hospital J.M. Morales Meseguer, Murcia, Spain

    A Jerez, A Fernández, M M Osma, V Roldán, F J Ortuño & V Vicente

Authors
  1. A Jerez
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  2. A Fernández
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  3. M M Osma
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  4. V Roldán
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  5. F J Ortuño
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  6. V Vicente
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Correspondence to A Jerez.

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Jerez, A., Fernández, A., Osma, M. et al. Measuring the prognostic impact of ferritin levels in myelodysplastic syndrome patients: the role of susceptibility biases. Leukemia 24, 640–642 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/leu.2009.229

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