https://scialert.net International Journal of Cancer Research en-us Science Alert Tue, 09 Jun 2026 18:11:57 +0200 Tue, 09 Jun 2026 18:14:14 +0200 RssPublisher 0.2.0 beta https://scialert.net/images/logo.gif https://scialert.net 41 233 International Journal of Cancer Research Mast Cells in Myelodysplastic Syndromes Background and Objective: Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) are clonal haemopoietic disorders with a high frequency of leukemic transformation. The role of mast cells (MCs) in this process is not well clarified. The aim was to study the number of mast cells, the secreted cytokines and the microvascular density (MVD) in MDS and controls to clarify the possible role of mast cells in the disease progression in these patients. Materials and Methods: Seventy-three patients and 60 healthy individuals were involved in the study. Thirty-seven belonged to the low/intermediate-1 risk group and 36 to the high/intermediate-2 group. Toluidine blue in bone marrow smears was used for MCs measurement. Tryptase and chymase expression was estimated by immunocytochemistry. The CD34⁺ cells were calculated by flow cytometry. Chymase and tryptase serum levels were measured by ELISA. The MVD was calculated by measuring the number of endothelial cells per 0.0625 mm² field area in paraffin sections. Results: An increased number of CD34⁺ cells, as well as MCs in the bone marrow of patients, was found. The MCs in patients expressed predominantly tryptase and did not present dysplastic features. Serum tryptase was higher in MDS compared to the normals. The MVD was higher in MDS compared to normals. There was a positive correlation between CD34⁺ cells and MCs as well as between MCs and MVD. High/intermediate-2 patients had a higher number of MCs, CD34⁺ cells and MVD compared to low/intermediate-1 cells and normals. Conclusion: The MCs in MDS do not seem to belong to the malignant clone, accumulate probably reactively and may contribute to the clone evolution by supporting angiogenesis and tumour microenvironment.]]> https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=ijcr.2023.1.8 09 June, 2026