Valproic acid for the treatment of low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes: A case report and a review of the literature

Myelodysplastic syndromes are heterogeneous myeloid neoplasms ranging from indolent conditions with a near-normal life expectancy to forms approaching acute myeloid leukemia. Here we report a 51-year-old woman with depression and severe obesity who was diagnosed with an International Prognostic Scoring System low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome, presenting mainly with thrombocytopenia, treated with escalating dose of valproic acid as a single agent. After two years of treatment her platelet count is almost normal and the tolerance to therapy is good. It is already known that valproic acid could be used in high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia, mainly in association with other drugs, but its role in low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome is not well established yet.