Myelodysplastic Syndromes

New Cases (Incidence)

The overall incidence rate of MDS is 4.3 cases per 100,000 persons.
MDS most commonly strikes males aged 80 years and older.
From 2003 to 2007, there were approximately 59,722 cases of MDS throughout the United States, averaging an estimated 11,945 cases per year.

Types of MDS

The most common specific MDS subtypes are:

refractory anemia (RA), which makes up 13.5 percent of all MDS cases
refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB), which makes up 13.9 percent

MDS not otherwise specified (MDS NOS) makes up 53.5 percent of all MDS cases.
Therapy-related MDS makes up less than 2 percent of all reported cases.

Incidence by Gender

For the five-year period from 2003 to 2007:

approximately 33,108 cases were made up of males, averaging 6,622 per year
approximately 26,664 cases were made up of females, averaging 5,333 per year

This results in an incidence rate of 5.8 cases per 100,000 for males, and a much lower 3.3 cases per 100,000 for females.

Incidence by Race and Ethnicity

White males have the highest incidence rates (6.0 cases per 100,000).
American Indian, Alaskan Native and Asian and Pacific Islander females have the lowest incidence rates (2.5 cases per 100,000 for each population group).

Survival

On January 1, 2005, there were 25,473 people in the United States living with, or in remission from, MDS. Because the National Cancer Institute, SEER program, only recently began maintaining statistics for MDS, this is a four-year prevalence figure as opposed to the 31-year prevalence figures reported for other types of cancer.

Deaths

Data for the number and rates of deaths from MDS are not yet available.

MDS facts and statistics from Facts 2010-2011.

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Myelodysplastic Syndromes The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Myelodysplastic Syndromes

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/myelodysplasticsyndromes.html

Your bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside some of your bones, such as your hip and thigh bones. It contains immature cells, called stem cells. The stem cells can develop into the red blood cells that carry oxygen through your body, the white blood cells that fight infections, and the platelets that help with blood clotting. If you have a myelodysplastic syndrome, the stem cells do not mature into healthy blood cells. This leaves less room for healthy cells, which can lead to infection, anemia, or easy bleeding.
Myelodysplastic syndromes often do not cause early symptoms and are sometimes found during a routine blood test. If you have symptoms, they may include

Shortness of breath
Weakness or feeling tired
Skin that is paler than usual
Easy bruising or bleeding
Pinpoint spots under the skin caused by bleeding
Fever or frequent infections

Myelodysplastic syndromes are rare. People at higher risk are over 60, have had chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or have been exposed to certain chemicals. Treatment options include transfusions, drug therapy, chemotherapy, and blood or bone marrow stem cell transplants.

NIH National Cancer Institute

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Myelodysplastic Syndromes: MedlinePlus