Webinar - Standard Approach to the Diagnosis of Myelodysplastic Syndrome in Pediatrics

Pediatric myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a rare disease in children and clinically distinct from adult MDS. Differentiating primary from secondary MDS is critically important to understanding prognosis and treatment outcomes. Understanding which screening tests to send, both functional and emerging molecular testing, as well as interpreting ambiguous results, is an ongoing challenge for clinicians when developing a treatment plan for newly diagnosed patients with MDS. This is particularly challenging due to the rarity of the disorder as well as the, sometimes, limited availability of specialized testing in many settings. The goal of this webinar is to review a standardized approach to the diagnosis of MDS and associated conditions developed by the North American Aplastic Anemia Consortium (NAPAAC) as well as discuss benefits and limitations of specialized testing. PHO learners will be provided with a diagnostic framework to approach these challenging patients.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify clinical and laboratory studies that are essential in the diagnosis of pediatric myelodysplastic syndrome
• Distinguish primary and secondary MDS

Moderator: Jennifer Rothman, MD

Speakers: Timothy Olson, MD PhD; Marcin Wlodarski, MD PhD