Myelodysplastic Syndromes – MDS

Overview

Myelodysplastic syndromes, also known as MDS, are a group of disorders affecting the blood and bone marrow. The bone marrow (the soft, spongy tissue found in the center of large bones) stores immature cells called stem cells. Stem cells normally have the ability to mature into white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets through a process known as hematopoiesis. In the body, white blood cells fight infections, red blood cells carry oxygen, and platelets help the blood to clot normally.

In MDS, hematopoiesis does not occur properly, and the number of blasts (immature cells) and dysplastic (abnormally developed) cells increases. In addition, the number of healthy mature cells decreases, resulting in lower blood cell counts.

Risk Factors

A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing a disease. Some risk factors can be controlled, such as smoking; and some cannot be controlled, such as age and family history. Although risk factors can influence the development of MDS, most do not directly cause MDS. Some people with several risk factors never develop MDS, while others with no known risk factors do. However, knowing your risk factors and communicating them to your doctor may help you make more informed lifestyle and health-care choices.

The following factors may raise a person’s risk of developing MDS:

Age. MDS occurs most frequently in people over 60 years of age and is less common in younger people. MDS is rare in children.
Gender. Men seem to develop MDS more often than women.
Exposure to environmental/occupational hazards. Prolonged exposure to benzene or other toxins, such as tobacco smoke and insecticides, may increase the risk of developing MDS.

Symptoms

People with MDS may experience the following symptoms. Sometimes, people with MDS do not show any of these symptoms. Or, these symptoms may be caused by a medical condition that is not MDS. If you are concerned about a symptom on this list, please talk with your doctor.

• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Easy bruising or bleeding
• Fever
• Bone pain

Treatment

The treatment of MDS depends on the person’s age, medical condition, subtype, IPSS score, and risk of developing AML. In many cases, a team of doctors will work with the patient to determine the best treatment plan.

Bone marrow transplantation/stem cell transplantation
High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell/bone marrow transplantation is the only known treatment that has been found to produce long-term remissions, although many patients with MDS cannot undergo transplantation because of older age and the presence of other medical problems. Before recommending transplantation, doctors will talk with the patient about the risks of this treatment and consider several other factors, such as the subtype of MDS, results of any previous treatment, and patient’s age and general health.