UC Irvine

Myeloid malignancies, stemming from a somatically mutated hematopoietic clone, can cause a wide variety of clinical consequences, including pancytopenia in myelodysplastic syndrome, overproduction of three myeloid lineages in myeloproliferative neoplasm, and the rapid growth of immature hematopoietic cells in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It is becoming clear that inflammation is a hallmark feature of clonal myeloid conditions, ranging from clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential to AML. Fundamental findings from laboratory research on inflammation in myeloid malignancies has potential implications for diagnosis, prognostication, and treatment in these diseases. In this review, we highlighted some pertinent basic science findings regarding the role of inflammation in myeloid malignancies and speculated how these findings could impact the clinical care of patients.