ESH MDS 2021 | Impact of environmental factors on MDS
Maria Teresa Voso, MD, University Tor Vergata Rome, Rome, Italy, outlines the impact of environmental factors on myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) at EHS MDS 2021. Dr Voso highlights benzene exposure as a common environmental cause, as well as comparing the genetic profile of MDS in patients who were exposed to differing levels of atomic radiation in Nagasaki. Patients with MDS who were exposed proximally to atomic radiation had karyotype abnormalities with mutations in chromosomes 8 and 11, whereas patients who were distally exposed to atomic radiation had MDS with mutations more similar to those seen in de novo MDS. Finally, Dr Voso discusses the impact of smoking on MDS disease evolution, including the role of ASXL1 mutations. This interview took place during the 2021 European School of Hematology (ESH) 7th Translational Research E-Conference on Myelodysplastic Syndromes.
