Low RPS14 expression is common in myelodysplastic syndromes without 5q- aberration and defines a subgroup of patients with prolonged survival.

To further clarify the role of ribosomal protein S14 (RPS14) in myelodysplastic syndrome, we examined RPS14 transcription in bone marrow derived CD34+ cells from patients with non-5q- myelodysplastic syndrome and found a reduced expression of RPS14 in 51 of 72 (71%) patients. MDS patients with an intermediate-1 risk (INT-1) score according to the international prognostic scoring system and low RPS14 expression had a superior median overall survival of not reached versus 25 months compared to INT-1 patients with high RPS14 expression (p=0.0249). Using multivariate analysis, the RPS14 expression status was confirmed as an independent predictor for survival in INT-1 patients.