Patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) present with low red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, alone or in combination. The only definitive treatment is stem cell transplantation. Unfortunately, treatment-related mortality precludes the application of this procedure for most patients older than 60 years and those lacking a suitable matched sibling donor. A proportion of patients have been shown to respond to a wide variety of immunosuppressive agents, including cyclosporine (CSA) and antithymocyte globulin (ATG). However, nonresponse and relapse continue to be problematic. Therefore, most patients with MDS receive supportive treatment with transfusions and growth factors, such as erythropoietin (EPO) and G-CSF, to improve blood counts. However, growth factors are not always effective in improving cytopenias and iron overload is an inevitable long-term complication of red blood cell transfusions.