Germline and somatic genetic landscape of pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes

Pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) represent a rare group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders accounting for ~5% of pediatric hematological malignancies. They are characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, cytopenia, and dysplastic changes in the bone marrow with variable risk of pr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lili Kotmayer, Alyssa L. Kennedy, Marcin W. Wlodarski
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Ferrata Storti Foundation 2025-06-01
Series:Haematologica
Online Access:https://haematologica.org/article/view/12132
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849433033753493504
author Lili Kotmayer
Alyssa L. Kennedy
Marcin W. Wlodarski
author_facet Lili Kotmayer
Alyssa L. Kennedy
Marcin W. Wlodarski
author_sort Lili Kotmayer
collection DOAJ
description Pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) represent a rare group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders accounting for ~5% of pediatric hematological malignancies. They are characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, cytopenia, and dysplastic changes in the bone marrow with variable risk of progression to acute myeloid leukemia. Unlike adult MDS, pediatric cases predominantly present with hypocellular bone marrow, with monosomy 7 and trisomy 8 as the most common cytogenetic aberrations. Pediatric MDS can manifest as primary disease or arise secondary to classical inherited bone marrow failure syndromes, prior cytotoxic therapy, or acquired aplastic anemia. In recent years, new germline syndromes have been identified in a substantial proportion of patients with “primary” MDS. The most common are GATA2 deficiency and SAMD9/SAMD9L syndromes, accounting for at least 7% and 8%, respectively. The somatic mutational landscape is different from adult MDS, with recurrent mutations affecting SETBP1, ASXL1, RUNX1, and RAS pathway genes (PTPN11, NRAS, KRAS, CBL), while mutations in spliceosome components and epigenetic regulators which are common in adults, are virtually absent in children. Monosomy 7 serves as a “central hub” in disease evolution, associating with somatic leukemia driver mutations. On the other hand, somatic UBTF-TD and NPM1 mutations define a subtype of MDS with excess blasts with predominantly normal karyotype without known germline predisposition. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the only curative option for pediatric MDS. Understanding the unique genetic profile of pediatric MDS has implications for diagnosis, therapy, donor selection and longterm surveillance, particularly for patients with germline predisposition syndromes. This review discusses current classification systems (WHO and ICC), provides a detailed overview of the germline and somatic genetic landscape of pediatric MDS, and highlights clinical implications of these genetic alterations.
format Article
id doaj-art-98d4d7c800074ca2be950be3526b6123
institution Kabale University
issn 0390-6078
1592-8721
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Ferrata Storti Foundation
record_format Article
series Haematologica
spelling doaj-art-98d4d7c800074ca2be950be3526b61232025-08-20T03:27:13ZengFerrata Storti FoundationHaematologica0390-60781592-87212025-06-01999110.3324/haematol.2024.285700Germline and somatic genetic landscape of pediatric myelodysplastic syndromesLili Kotmayer0Alyssa L. Kennedy1Marcin W. Wlodarski2Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, MemphisDepartment of Hematology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, MemphisDepartment of Hematology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis Pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) represent a rare group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders accounting for ~5% of pediatric hematological malignancies. They are characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, cytopenia, and dysplastic changes in the bone marrow with variable risk of progression to acute myeloid leukemia. Unlike adult MDS, pediatric cases predominantly present with hypocellular bone marrow, with monosomy 7 and trisomy 8 as the most common cytogenetic aberrations. Pediatric MDS can manifest as primary disease or arise secondary to classical inherited bone marrow failure syndromes, prior cytotoxic therapy, or acquired aplastic anemia. In recent years, new germline syndromes have been identified in a substantial proportion of patients with “primary” MDS. The most common are GATA2 deficiency and SAMD9/SAMD9L syndromes, accounting for at least 7% and 8%, respectively. The somatic mutational landscape is different from adult MDS, with recurrent mutations affecting SETBP1, ASXL1, RUNX1, and RAS pathway genes (PTPN11, NRAS, KRAS, CBL), while mutations in spliceosome components and epigenetic regulators which are common in adults, are virtually absent in children. Monosomy 7 serves as a “central hub” in disease evolution, associating with somatic leukemia driver mutations. On the other hand, somatic UBTF-TD and NPM1 mutations define a subtype of MDS with excess blasts with predominantly normal karyotype without known germline predisposition. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the only curative option for pediatric MDS. Understanding the unique genetic profile of pediatric MDS has implications for diagnosis, therapy, donor selection and longterm surveillance, particularly for patients with germline predisposition syndromes. This review discusses current classification systems (WHO and ICC), provides a detailed overview of the germline and somatic genetic landscape of pediatric MDS, and highlights clinical implications of these genetic alterations. https://haematologica.org/article/view/12132
spellingShingle Lili Kotmayer
Alyssa L. Kennedy
Marcin W. Wlodarski
Germline and somatic genetic landscape of pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes
Haematologica
title Germline and somatic genetic landscape of pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes
title_full Germline and somatic genetic landscape of pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes
title_fullStr Germline and somatic genetic landscape of pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes
title_full_unstemmed Germline and somatic genetic landscape of pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes
title_short Germline and somatic genetic landscape of pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes
title_sort germline and somatic genetic landscape of pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes
url https://haematologica.org/article/view/12132
work_keys_str_mv AT lilikotmayer germlineandsomaticgeneticlandscapeofpediatricmyelodysplasticsyndromes
AT alyssalkennedy germlineandsomaticgeneticlandscapeofpediatricmyelodysplasticsyndromes
AT marcinwwlodarski germlineandsomaticgeneticlandscapeofpediatricmyelodysplasticsyndromes