Epidemiological data on myelodysplastic syndrome patients under 50 years in a single center of Romania

In the Western countries the myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is mostly observed in patients older than 65 years and therefore there are few reports referring to patients less than 50 years. The aim of the study is to emphasize for the first time the characteristics of this group of age in Romania, a non-Western European country. The cases belonging to the group of age under 50 years were extracted from the database of the MDS Registry of the Hematological Department, Fundeni Clinical Institute, Bucharest, Romania, comprising 403 primary adult cases collected between 1982 and 2004. The registration form, using the FAB classification, was kindly provided by MDS Foundation (USA). The epidemiological parameters were compared with those aged over 60 years and with those reported by other foreign studies. Sixty-six MDS cases aged under 50 years, representing 16% in the registry, were identified. Among them, 19 cases (28.3%) were under 30 years, and the overall average age was 36 years. A female and urban predominance, as well as very low values for the age-adjusted incidence (0.07/100,000) and its temporal trend (slope value 0.0098 ± 0.002) characterized this cohort. The temporal trend was significantly lower than that of the over 60, but similar with that of the 51-59 years group. This study indicates a higher proportion of young patients with MDS in Romania than in the Western countries, but lower than in the Asian ones. It suggests that MDS in adults aged under 50 years, and even under 59 years, could be a distinct category with a mostly inborn pathogeny compared to MDS in the elderly.