What is MDS?

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of clonal myeloid disorders originating from hematopoietic stem cells. Their hallmark features include dysplasia and abnormal differentiation/maturation of myeloid cells, clinically manifesting as ineffective hematopoiesis, refractory cytopenias, and progressive bone marrow failure. MDS carries a high risk of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Clinically, MDS patients are stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups based on disease characteristics; treatment strategies therefore vary accordingly. Current therapeutic options for MDS include chemotherapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and targeted therapy. Chemotherapy employs cytotoxic agents to eliminate malignant and dysplastic cells, whereas HSCT replaces the patient’s abnormal hematopoietic stem cells with healthy donor-derived stem cells.