While myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) represent a heterogeneous set of pathologies, a large proportion of MDS show similarity in somatic mutations. In this interview, which took place at the 2018 Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) Annual Meeting in Houston, TX, Valeria Santini, MD, of the University of Florence, Florence, Italy, discusses how these mutations can be used to inform diagnosis and prognosis. She speaks about a collaborative project working to show correlations between different somatic mutations and disease progression, and uses TP53 mutations as an example of mutations associated with poor prognoses in MDS. Improved understanding of how somatic mutations affect pathology means clinicians are able to provide more targeted and effective care.
Somatic mutations in MDS as a diagnostic and prognostic tool
