The Contribution of Auer Rods to the Classification and Prognosis of Myelodysplastic Syndromes

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Abstract
Auer rods were first recognized at the beginning of this century. Their presence soon became considered to be an unequivocal manifestation of a leukemic process. Possibly influenced by this long-held assumption, in 1982 the French-American-British co-operative group (FAB) incorporated the presence of Auer rods into a classification system of the myelodysplastic syndromes that remains in widespread clinical usage today. Although unsubstantiated at the time, the presence of Auer rods was suggested to indicate a rapidly progressive disorder and a poor prognosis. In the absence of studies confirming the utility of Auer rods as a diagnostic criterion, the FAB classification system of myelodysplastic syndromes has been widely used to allocate therapy.

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