Population
Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), (38 studies).
Intervention
Two systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses were conducted to understand the impact of transfusion status (TS) on overall survival (OS), and to unravel the impact of TS on clinical (other than OS), economic, and humanistic outcomes in patients with MDS.
Comparison
Outcome
The first systematic review (10 studies) showed consistent decrease in (OS) in transfusion dependent (TD) compared with transfusion independent (TI) patients. These findings were confirmed by a meta-analysis (MA) reporting better OS prognosis for TI patients. A second systematic review (28 studies) showed better prognosis for other outcomes, including AML progression and leukaemia-free survival for TI patients. Risk of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) progression and cumulative non-leukemic death assessed by the MA showed a trend toward worse prognosis and higher risk of AML progression for TD patients. Lower healthcare resource utilization, better quality of life, and reduced non-leukemic death for TI patients were observed. Studies not eligible for MA also showed better clinical, economic and humanistic outcomes for TI patients.