Abstract
The predictive performance of the Molecular International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-M) for high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients undergoing transplantation remains uncertain. We retrospectively analyzed 86 MDS patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) at our center from 2016 to 2023. According to IPSS-M, patients were classified as Low (
Keywords
Introduction
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) encompass a group of highly heterogeneous myeloid clonal disorders that range from nearly normal individuals to rapidly progressing to acute leukemia and even death in a short span, with survival after diagnosis ranging from months to years1,2. Particularly, patients with high-risk MDS often have a life expectancy of less than one year 3 , which is closely related to abnormality in molecular biology4,5. Only 40% to 60% of patients with high-risk MDS achieve complete remission (CR) after traditional chemotherapy, which is much lower than that of patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML)6,7. Owing to the efficacy of high-dose chemotherapy and the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) represents the therapeutic modality with the highest potential for curing MDS8,9. However, the decision to proceed with this treatment necessitates careful weighing between the risk of disease progression and transplantation-related mortality (TRM). Therefore, it is critically important to perform precise stratification of MDS patients to determine the most appropriate treatment at the optimal time.
Over decades, the development of molecular diagnostic techniques has elucidated the pivotal role that genetic mutations play in the pathogenesis, clinical manifestation, therapeutic response, and prognostication of MDS, underscoring the criticality of incorporating genetic mutation into prognostic evaluations to optimize patient management10–12. In more recent years, genomic data have been incorporated into risk stratification to guide clinical treatment decisions13–17. Among them, the Molecular International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-M) represents a novel prognostic model that expands on the IPSS-R by including a comprehensive panel of 31 somatic mutation genes 18 . IPSS-M has been validated as more accurate than IPSS-R in predicting overall survival (OS), leukemia-free survival, and leukemic transformation19–21. However, due to the wide range of patients included in the original cohorts, the accuracy of IPSS-M for predicting outcomes in patients undergoing transplantation still needs further evaluation22,23. Currently, there are limited studies to verify the prognostic performance of IPSS-M in MDS patients who received allo-HSCT19,24,25.
Therefore, we carried out this retrospective study to validate that IPSS-M risk stratification may not be appropriate for transplant MDS patients and to seek risk stratification tailored for the transplant patients based on this model. In addition, we also analyzed the relationship between TP53 allele status and survival outcomes as well as prognostic factors affecting post-transplant outcomes in MDS patients.
Methods
Participants and study design
We retrospectively analyzed the MDS patients who underwent allo-HSCT in our center from 2016 to 2023. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) Diagnosis of primary MDS according to the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) criteria 26 ; (2) Age ≥18 years at the time of transplantation; and (3) Availability of IPSS-M related information at the initial diagnosis. Patients affected with secondary MDS were excluded.
Based on the above criteria, we examined data from 113 consecutive subjects, of whom 27 patients were excluded due to incomplete information on gene mutations, resulting in a total of 86 patients included in this study. All patients were stratified according to both IPSS-R and IPSS-M. Cytogenetic data were derived from conventional G-banding and Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis, with karyotypes classified according to the International System for Human Cytogenetic Nomenclature. The IPSS-M score was calculated according to the original publication 18 . All investigations were conducted with the approval of the Ethics Committee of Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology and in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (approval number: [2023] No.0969).
Definition
Relapse was defined as the occurrence of more than 5% marrow blasts and/or reappearance of major myelodysplastic features associated with cytopenia (or worsening of previous cytopenia) and evidence of autologous reconstitution when chimerism was available 27 .
The minimal residual disease (MRD) levels of bone marrow (BM) were assessed pre-transplantation in CR patients by multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) 28 .
Donor chimerism at 28 days and 100 days were categorized as complete (>95%), mixed (5%–95%), graft rejection (<5%), or death before assessment of donor chimerism using short tandem repeat (STR) amplification by fluorescence labeling polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with automatic capillary electrophoresis 29 .
The primary endpoints were OS and disease-free survival (DFS). The secondary endpoints included Cumulative Incidence of Relapse (CIR), non-relapse mortality (NRM), acute Graft-versus-Host Disease (aGVHD), and chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease (cGVHD). OS was defined as the time from the date of transplantation to the date of death from any cause or the last follow-up for surviving patients. DFS was estimated from the date of transplantation to the development of MDS or death from any cause or the last follow-up for survivors. For NRM, any death in the absence of disease relapse was considered an event. AGVHD and cGVHD were classified based on previous studies30,31.
Targeted gene sequencing
Genomic DNA was extracted from mononuclear cells of BM aspirate through next-generation sequencing (NGS) to acquire mutation data. Mutation sequencing was performed on 13 subjects using a 25-genes panel from January 2016 to December 2017. Major effect genes
Conditioning regimen
Patients ≥55 years or with a hematopoietic cell transplantation-specific comorbidity index (HCT-CI) ≥3 received the reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens based on fludarabine (Flu) with busulfan (BU) (FB,
GVHD prophylaxis
A regimen of cyclosporine (CsA) combined with short-term methotrexate (MTX) was employed to prevent GVHD for allo-HSCT from human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched related donors 35 . For haploidentical transplants and unrelated donor matches, the regimen included tacrolimus (FK506), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), basiliximab (CD25), short-term MTX, and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) 36 . The conventional dose of ATG was 6–7.5 mg/kg.
Statistical analysis
Numerical variables between groups were tested by the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Categorical co-variates were compared with the chi-squared test and Fisher’s exact test. The OS and DFS were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method and CIR, NRM, and GVHD were evaluated using a competing risk model and Fine-Gray test. Cox proportional hazards models were utilized to predict the risk factors for OS and DFS. Factors with
Results
Mutation topography
When considering only the mutations incorporated in the IPSS-M model, 63 patients (73.3%) had available mutation data, of which 40 patients (46.5%) carried ≥2 relevant mutations, with a median number of mutations being 2 (interquartile range [IQR] 1–3). A total of 77 (89.5%) patients presented at least one pathogenic molecular abnormality. 23 subjects (26.7%) had mutations only, 14 (16.3%) had abnormal cytogenetics only, and 40 (46.5%) had both. (Supplementary Table S7).
Patient characteristics and outcomes
Among the 86 patients, 53 (61.6%) were male and 33 (38.4%) were female. The median age at diagnosis was 43.0 years (IQR, 36.0–52.3), with the last follow-up date being February 4, 2024. The patients were classified according to the IPSS-M: 3 patients (3.5%) were classified as Low-risk, 9 patients (10.5%) as Moderate Low-risk, 15 patients (17.4%) as Moderate High-risk, and 26 patients (30.2%) and 33 patients (38.4%) as High and Very High-risk. (Supplementary Table S8).
As of the last follow-up, 28 (32.6%) patients had died, with the causes of death being relapse in 10 cases, GVHD in 3, infections in 11, graft failure in 3, and sudden cardiac death in 1. The median follow-up time for survivors was 22.9 months (IQR, 9.5–42.1), with 3-year OS and 3-year DFS of 62.6% (95% CI, 51.9%–75.4%) and 50.4% (95% CI, 38.9%–65.2%), respectively (Fig. 1a and b). The 3-year CIR and 3-year NRM were 25.4% (95% CI, 24.7%–26.1%) and 24.2% (95% CI, 23.7%–24.8%), respectively (Fig. 1c and d). The 100-day cumulative incidence of grades I–IV, II–IV, and III–IV aGVHD were 27.2% (95% CI, 26.7%–27.8%), 20.8% (95% CI, 20.4%–21.2%) and 8.9% (95% CI, 8.7%–9.1%), respectively. The 1-year cumulative incidence of mild, moderate and severe cGVHD was 38.2% (95% CI, 37.5%–38.9%), 24.7% (95% CI, 24.1%–25.3%), and 13.6% (95% CI, 13.2%–14.0%).

OS, DFS, CIR, and NRM in 86 patients. (a) OS. (b) DFS. (c) CIR, (d) NRM.
Notably, in our cohort, employing the IPSS-M risk stratification did not demonstrate predictive value for the post-transplant survival of the 86 patients (Fig. 2a and b). In contrast, the IPSS-R risk stratification exhibited significant prognostic capability for OS (

Kaplan–Meier probability estimates of OS (a and c) and DFS (b and d) for 86 patients with MDS stratified by IPSS-R and IPSS-M risk categories, respectively.
Patient characteristics after re-stratifying
The 86 patients were grouped based on their IPSS-M scores into three categories: IPSS-M < 0.56, IPSS-M 0.56–1.75, and IPSS-M >1.75, comprising 28, 30, and 28 cases, respectively. The median follow-up times for survivors in these groups were 18.4 (95% CI, 7.6–34.7) months, 29.8 (95% CI, 12.5–55.2) months, and 22.0 (95% CI, 7.0–42.5) months, respectively (
Clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients (n = 86) with MDS after re-stratifying.
MDS: myelodysplastic syndromes; IQR: interquartile range; MDS-SLD: MDS with single-lineage dysplasia; MDS-MLD: MDS with multilineage dysplasia; MDS-RS-SLD: MDS with ring sideroblasts and single-lineage dysplasia; MDS-RS-MLD: MDS with ring sideroblasts and multilineage dysplasia; MDS-5q-: MDS with isolated deletion of long arm of chromosome 5; MDS-EB1: MDS with excess of blasts type 1; MDS-EB2: MDS with excess of blasts type 2; MDS-U: MDS unclassifiable; IPSS-R: Revised International Prognostic Scoring System; IPSS-M: Molecular International Prognostic Scoring System; allo-HSCT: allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; NR: non-remission; CR: complete remission; MRD: minimal residual disease; PB: peripheral blood; BM: bone marrow; HLA: human leukocyte antigen; GVHD: graft-versus-host disease; CSA: cyclosporine; MTX: methotrexate; FK506: tacrolimus; MMF: mycophenolate mofetil; CD25: basiliximab; ATG: anti-thymocyte globulin; CDC: complete donor chimerism; MC: mixed chimerism; GF: graft failure; CMV: cytomegalovirus.
Engraftment
In this study, 28 (100.0%), 27 (90.0%), and 24 (85.7%) patients in the three groups successfully achieved neutrophil engraftment, and 27 (96.4%), 27 (90.0%), and 24 (85.7%) patients successfully achieved platelet engraftment, respectively. There was no statistical difference between the three groups in terms of neutrophil and platelet engraftment (
Relapse
As the IPSS-M score intervals increased, there was an upward trend in the number of relapses among the three groups, with 4 (14.3%) cases, 5 (16.7%) cases, and 9 (32.1%) cases, respectively,
Outcomes (OS, DFS, CIR, NRM and GVHD)
By the last follow-up, 4 (14.3%) cases in the IPSS-M < 0.56, 10 (33.3%) cases in the IPSS-M 0.56–1.75, and 14 (50.0%) cases in the IPSS-M >1.75 had died. (Table 2).
Cause of death in three groups.
IPSS-M: Molecularnternationalrognostic Scoring System; GVHD::: graft-versus-host disease.
The patient suffered from sudden cardiac arrest while undergoing stem cell infusion.
There was a significant difference in the long-term OS and DFS among the three groups (

Kaplan-Meier probability estimates of OS (a) and DFS (b) for 86 patients with MDS after re-stratifying.
Clinical outcomes after allo-HSCT.
IPSS-M: Molecular International Prognostic Scoring System; aGVHD: acute graft-versus-host disease; cGVHD: chronic graft-versus-host disease; OS: overall survival; DFS: disease-free survival; NRM: non-relapse mortality; CIR: cumulative incidence of relapse.
Relationship between TP53 allele status and survival outcomes
Among our cohort, 13(15.1%) patients were identified to have
Patients with

Kaplan-Meier probability estimates of OS (a and c) and DFS (b and d) for 86 patients with MDS stratified by
Univariate and multivariate analyses
Univariate analysis revealed that patients with IPSS-M >1.75 was identified as a risk factor for both OS and DFS with hazard ratios (HRs) of 4.79 (95% CI, 1.56–14.71,
In the multivariate analysis, IPSS-M >1.75 was identified as a risk factor for OS and DFS with HRs of 3.88 (95% CI 1.17–12.85,
Results of univariate and multivariate analyses.
OS: overall survival; DFS: disease-free survival; IPSS-M: Molecular International Prognostic Scoring System;
Discussion
IPSS-R has become the most widely adopted tool for individual risk assessment and treatment decision-making for newly diagnosed MDS patients since its initial publication in 2012 37 . Although IPSS-M has demonstrated higher accuracy and sensitivity than IPSS-R in overall clinical endpoints, its prognostic value in specific treatment cohorts remains uncertain, considering that only 30% of patients received disease-modifying treatment, and 9% underwent allo-HSCT in the original cohort 18 . Research by Sauta et al. 19 indicated that IPSS-M failed to stratify individual responses to hypomethylating agents (HMAs), while Urrutia et al. 38 found it also lacked prognostic value after HMA failure. In our transplant cohort, IPSS-M failed to show superior prognostic capabilities compared to IPSS-R (Fig. 2). Moreover, in another retrospective study, IPSS-M did not show a predictive advantage for the survival of 17 patients who underwent allo-HSCT 25 .
Molecular prognostic models can offer deeper insights into the impact of mutation alterations on the overall risk in MDS. However, similar to IPSS and IPSS-R, which, although once used to assess post-transplant survival, were originally intended to reflect the natural course of disease39,40. Hence, they may lack precise prognoses for MDS patients undergoing transplantation25,41. Several transplant-specific prognostic scoring systems have been developed for MDS by integrating patient-specific factors (e.g., Karnofsky Performance Status, KPS; Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation-Comorbidity Index, HCT-CI), disease characteristics (e.g., cytogenetic risk stratification), and transplant-related variables (e.g., conditioning intensity, donor type, graft source), including the MDS transplantation risk index (TRI)
42
, the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) scoring system
43
, the MDS transplantation prognostic scoring system (MTPSS)
44
, and the EBMT transplant-specific risk score
45
, demonstrating reliability as predictors of post-transplant outcomes. Considering the non-transplant specificity of the original IPSS-M cohort and its poor prognosis in some transplant cohorts, a clinical-molecular model obtained by combining IPSS-M with transplant-specific parameters by Gurnari et al.
24
has demonstrated stronger prognostication performance than IPSS-M in 416 MDS patients who received allo-HSCT. In our research, a simple adjustment of risk stratification without adding variables to the IPSS-M model also resulted in a significant difference in survival between the three groups (Fig. 3). These attempts indicated that, based on the IPSS-M scores, we may be able to find a more accurate risk stratification for specific transplant MDS patients, thereby identifying patients who would benefit the most from allo-HSCT and maximizing the value of the model. Meanwhile, our multivariate analysis revealed adverse effects on OS in the highest-risk group, which has a median survival of 1.2 (1.0–1.4) years, better than that of the Very High-risk in the original IPSS-M cohort, possibly due to transplantation improving the OS in our cohort
22
. However, the survival benefit of allo-HSCT in the highest-risk group was limited compared with patients with IPSS-M < 1.75 (Supplementary Fig. S1), with 3-year OS and 3-year DFS 43.2% (27.0%–69.1%) versus 71.9% (59.6%–86.9%) and 19.0% (6.5%–55.4%) versus 65.4% (52.4%–81.6%) (
Previous studies have repeatedly confirmed that MDS patients with
Older age is often predictive of poor post-transplant outcomes. In our multivariate analysis, patients over the age of 55 had nearly a fourfold higher risk of relapse compared to those ≤55 years, which was consistent with previous studies43,51. Moreover, this subset of patients receiving RIC regimens may increase the risk of relapse while reducing toxicity and improving tolerability 52 . Additionally, as previous studies have mentioned, the presence of cGVHD is beneficial for the long-term survival of patients, which is mainly attributed to the GVL it induces 53 .
Our study has several limitations, including its retrospective design and small sample size, which may impact the external validity and statistical power of the risk stratification model. As a result, we cannot confidently assert its universal applicability. The primary value of this study lies in its aim to promote the development of more accurate prognostic assessment tools for transplant patients by enhancing the predictive dimensions of the IPSS-M scoring system, such as incorporating transplant-specific indicators. Additionally, incomplete molecular information for some patients and the absence of
Conclusion
In conclusion, although IPSS-M risk stratification failed to show superior prognostic performance for MDS patients undergoing allo-HSCT compared to IPSS-R, identifying new stratification based on IPSS-M scores could help pinpoint high-risk MDS patients who respond better to allo-HSCT. Patients with IPSS-M > 1.75 or with
Supplemental Material
sj-docx-1-cll-10.1177_09636897251348406 – Supplemental material for Threefold IPSS-M reclassification outperforms original stratification in predicting post-transplant outcomes for MDS patients
Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-cll-10.1177_09636897251348406 for Threefold IPSS-M reclassification outperforms original stratification in predicting post-transplant outcomes for MDS patients by Hongru Chen, Shan Jiang, Ruowen Wei, Ao Zhang, Xiena Cao, Wei Shi and Linghui Xia in Cell Transplantation
Footnotes
Ethical considerations
The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethics Committee of Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (approval number: [2023] No.0969), with the need for written informed consent waived.
Author contributions
Hongru Chen: Writing—original draft, Project administration, Methodology, Investigation, Conceptualization. Shan Jiang: Writing—original draft, Project administration, Methodology, Investigation, Conceptualization. Ruowen Wei: Writing—original draft, Data curation, Software, Formal analysis. Ao Zhang: Writing—original draft, Software, Formal analysis. Xiena Cao: Writing—review & editing, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Resources. Wei Shi: Writing—review & editing, Funding acquisition, Project administration, Methodology, Conceptualization, Resources, Supervision. Linghui Xia: Writing—review & editing, Project administration, Methodology, Conceptualization, Resources, Supervision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 82370220), Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 82100233), and the National Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (2023AFB723).
Declaration of conflicting interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Statement of human and animal rights
This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects.
Statement of informed consent
There are no human subjects in this article and informed consent is not applicable.
Data availability statement
The data that support the findings of our study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
Supplemental material
Supplemental material for this article is available online.
References
Supplementary Material
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