Better pre-transplant treatment options for TP53-mutated MDS: cytoreductive or non-cytoreductive therapy?

Patients with TP53-mutated myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS) have unfavorable prognoses; the benefit of cytoreductive treatment before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is debated. We retrospectively analyzed 284 MDS patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT; among which 49 had TP53 mutation, with 38 receiving cytoreduction and 11 treated exclusively with best supportive care (BSC) before transplantation. Regardless of TP53 allelic state, patients with mutated-TP53 had a lower overall survival rate and higher relapse rate than those with wild-type TP53 (P 0.05). Multivariate analyses showed that pre-HSCT cytoreduction was not associated with post-transplant survival (all P > 0.05). In conclusion, TP53-mutated MDS patients have poor post-HSCT outcomes; compared to BSC, pre-HSCT cytoreduction doesn't improve prognosis, even in those with MRD negative before transplantation.