Research progress in molecular biomarkers for MDS

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) represent a heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic disorders with diverse clinical course. Because of the heterogeneity and the lack of molecular markers to monitor disease progression, clinical management of MDS patients is challenging. Recently, with the development of molecular analysis techniques, an increasing number of MDS related molecular biomarkers have been reported. In this review, we will discuss the clinical applications of the newly reported molecular makers in terms of diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. These markers may improve the diagnosis and prognostic assessment systems of MDS, which may potentially be used to guide decision making in the individual therapy.(Chin J Lab Med, 2016, 39: 536-539) Key words: Myelodysplastic syndromes; Biological markers; Transcription facotors