From the Department of Hematologic Malignancies and Experimental Therapeutics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL; the Departments of Medicine, Pathology, and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY; and the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, Rochester, NY
Authors’ disclosures of potential conflicts of interest are found at the end of this article.
Address reprint requests to Rami S. Komrokji, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Hematologic Malignancies and Experimental Therapeutics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Dr, Tampa, FL 33612; e-mail: rami.komrokji{at}moffitt.org
Overview: The last decade witnessed the emergence of several therapeutic options for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome. Objective criteria for diagnosis, proper classification, and risk stratification are more important than ever before. Therapeutic strategies are tailored based on the classification and prognostic risk groups. New therapies, on the other hand, are contributing to our basic understanding of the disease pathogenesis and evolution of the classification systems.
In this article, we review the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of myelodysplastic syndrome, highlighting the major changes compared with French–American–British classification. We review the validation of the WHO and then discuss the application and limitations of the WHO classification. We study the International Prognostic Scoring System and its new modification, the WHO Prognostic Scoring System. Finally, we introduce some of the 2008 revisions of the WHO classification system.
