Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of diseases that
involve dysfunction of the bone marrow. Bone marrow is the
tissue found within the bones; its task is to create mature
blood cells from stem cells. In all forms of MDS, this normal
cell-creation process is disrupted by the overproduction of
clones of a single stem cell. This leads to a decrease in
production of normal red blood cells, white blood cells, and
platelets. The World Health Organization has classified MDS into
eight categories. Some forms are more serious than others; all
of them are serious enough to require a physician’s care. Thirty
percent of people with MDS develop acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells and their parent
cells. As more is learned about MDS, experts began to see it as
a form of cancer. The cause of MDS is unknown, but research
shows that certain risk factors are associated with the disease.
A risk factor is something that increases your chance of getting
a disease or condition. The