A study of the haematologic spectrum of myelodysplastic syndrome.

In 31 patients of myelodysplastic syndrome, RAEB-t was the commonest subtype (29%), and RARS, the lease common (6.4%); 19.4% were characterised as the unclassifiable (UC) group. Pallor was the dominant sign (90.3%). Low haemoglobin in RA & RARS (p<0.05), thrombocytopenia in RAEB-t (p<0.01) and high leuco/monocyte counts in CMML (p<0.001) were observed. Neutropenia occurred most frequently in RAEB & RAEB-t and circulating blasts in all cases of RAEB-t and CMML. Bicytopenia was the commonest finding (58.1%) and pancytopenia the least (16.1%). 84% of marrows were hypercellular and trilineage dysplasia was seen in 68% of patients. Megaloblastoid dyserythropoiesis was the predominant feature in all cases, dysgranulopoiesis in all cases of RAEB, RAEB-t and CMML, and micromegokaryocytes in all cases of RARS, RAEB & CMML were seen. RAEB-t and RAEB (33.3% each) were the predominant groups which progressed to leukemia, FAB AML-M2, being the commonest type (60%).