Sustained improvement in anemia with low-dose recombinant human erythropoietin therapy in a patient with hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndrome and chromosomal abnormalities.

We present a case report of a 55-year-old male patient with hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS, refractory anemia) in which a good response to recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) has been maintained for more than 60 months. There is with no evidence of progression to high risk MDS or acute leukemia, although he was predicted to be a low-responder to rhEPO therapy because of very high serum EPO levels (5,260 mU/ml), a history of multiple transfusions, chromosomal abnormalities (47,XY,+8) and severe thrombocytopenia. Since he received rhEPO with no adverse effects, it may be valuable to try rhEPO treatment at least one time for low-risk MDS patients, depending on red cell transfusion requirements.