What is MDS?

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of disorders that affect blood stem cells, the cells that develop into white and red blood cells. MDS is also known as pre-leukemia and acute leukemias.

The stem cells in our bone marrow make all the different kinds of blood cells in our body. Stem cells have the ability to become any type of cell because they can divide to make more stem cells or differentiate to become a specific type of cell, like a red blood cell or platelet.

This process should be tightly controlled; when it’s not, some abnormal stem cells may continue to divide and grow out of control. The abnormal cells that grow can replace the normal healthy blood-forming tissue in your bone marrow and interfere with your body’s ability to make healthy new blood cells. These abnormal cells are called blasts or leukemic blasts and are found in your peripheral blood. Over time, as these blasts continue to grow, they change into more mature forms of cancerous white blood cells called myeloblasts or myelocytes.

Causes: In most cases, the causes of MDS is unknown, but it is thought that some infections or toxic chemicals may play a part. It can also be caused by smoking and by exposure to radiation and certain chemicals.

Symptoms: One of the first symptoms of MDS may be a low red blood cell count (anemia). Other symptoms include fatigue and weakness, and feeling dizzy, short of breath, or lightheaded. People with MDS may have infections more often than usual, including pneumonia. They may also feel full after eating only a small amount of food.

Treatments: Treatment of MDS depends on the type of disease involved and its severity. The goal is to control symptoms and stop the disease from getting worse. For example, if anemia is present, transfusions with red blood cells are given to increase red blood cell counts to safe levels.

Is Myelodysplastic Syndromes a Cancer?

The answer to this question is a resounding yes. Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) is a cancer. It’s an incurable form of blood cancer (a myeloproliferative neoplasm) that affects your bone marrow and blood cells.

Myelodysplastic Syndromes tumors are often benign, but if the disease progresses, it can lead to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML affects white blood cells called “myeloblasts.” In MDS, these cells develop in your bone marrow and crowd out healthy blood cells. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 10 to 30 percent of patients with MDS will progress to AML within five years.

About half of people diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndromes will live at least one year after diagnosis, and 15 percent will live five years or longer. About one-third of people with MDS will die within months of diagnosis, while the remainder live anywhere from a few weeks to many years after being diagnosed.

As with most cancers, the extent to which MDS is considered cancerous depends on the stage of development it has reached. Cases where MDS has developed into a more serious form of cancer would be classified as cancers, whereas cases in which MDS remains as a low-risk condition would not be classified as such.

MDS has been linked to exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation, but many people who have experienced MDS have no history of such exposure. Factors that place people at higher risk for MDS include smoking, older age and ethnic background—people from Asia and Central Africa are statistically more likely than Caucasians to develop MDS.

What are MDS Early Signs and Symptoms?

“Early signs and symptoms,” like the name suggests, represent some of the key characteristics that help doctors diagnose MDS at an early stage. Early detection is essential for treating MDS because it allows for better outcomes. If left untreated, MDS can progress to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with a poor prognosis, but treatment can cause excellent cure rates among patients with this condition.

Early signs of MDS include:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Weakness or fatigue
• Frequent infections
• Fever or feeling warm to the touch

How is Myelodysplastic Syndromes Treated?

All blood cancers are treated by targeting the cancerous cells with specific types of therapy. In myelodysplastic syndromes, the cancer is first treated with chemotherapy to kill or slow the growth of leukemic cells and bone marrow by causing the bone marrow to produce more white blood cells. Some patients may receive radiation therapy after chemotherapy to destroy any remaining leukemic cells in the body.

A second type of treatment for myelodysplastic syndromes is called a stem cell or bone marrow transplant. Stem cell or bone marrow transplants are used in patients who have already had chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy and whose cancer has not been cured by this treatment. A patient who receives a transplant replaces their own diseased bone marrow with healthy stroma-free donor marrow that contains new blood cells (stem cells) that will grow into mature blood cells. A stem cell or bone marrow transplant is similar to a blood transfusion because it replaces a person’s own bone marrow with healthy donor bone marrow, which helps people live longer and healthier lives.

What is the Prognosis for a Myelodysplastic Syndromes Patient?

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is a group of disorders characterized by ineffective production of myeloblasts, a type of cell in the blood. The decreased production of myeloblasts leads to fewer red blood cells, which can lead to fatigue and shortness of breath. There are three main types: refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

RAEB is the most common form of MDS, accounting for approximately 80% of cases. It has a poor prognosis due to patients’ inability to produce healthy red blood cells and platelets; this results in severe anemia and bleeding.

Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia has a much better prognosis than RAEB because it’s less aggressive. This form of MDS only makes up around 20% of cases, and its symptoms are often milder but still include fatigue and bleeding.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is the least common form of MDS, accounting for 10% of cases.

The prognosis for a myelodysplastic syndromes patient depends on a variety of factors. Although most cases of myelodysplastic syndromes are diagnosed in adults, the average age at diagnosis is approximately 66 years. The disease itself can be chronic or acute. Some patients live with myelodysplastic syndromes for years; others may die shortly after diagnosis.

The severity of the condition will vary between patients as well. The rate of platelet production and white blood cell count will determine how quickly a patient responds to treatment and how long he or she remains in remission. Patients whose immune systems are weakened by another disease—such as HIV—or who have experienced bone marrow transplants are also more likely to develop complications from the disease than healthy patients.

In general, there is no cure for myelodysplastic syndromes, but there are treatments available to improve the quality of life for patients with this illness. Treatment options include antineoplastic drugs, immunosuppressive medications, surgery, and radiation therapy that target specific defects in blood cell production in order to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.