Confirming Your Diagnosis | Scoring MDS | Tests | Subtypes | Resources
To check your myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) diagnosis and find out the subtype, your physician will do a complete physical exam and ask about your health history and any symptoms.
You may also need to have more blood testss, a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy (where a small sample is taken and looked at with a microscope) or a cytogenetic analysis (tests for gene abnormalities).
For cancer, physicians usually use a system called staging to find out how early or advanced it is. MDS uses a different system to find out how early or advanced it is. Your score helps your physician predict which treatments are most likely to control your disease or put it into remission.
Physicians use the International Prognostic Scoring System-Revised (IPSS-R) or the Molecular International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-M) to score a patient with MDS. A patient's score is based on these things:
Based on this information, patients are put into risk groups. These risk groups are only estimates for groups of people. Your risk group is meant to give you and your physician an idea of what might happen for you based on what usually happens for people whose MDS is similar to yours. Your score doesn't predict the exact outlook for you as an individual.
To decide on the treatment plan for you and your specific case of MDS, your physician will probably recommend:
Our MDS specialists work closely with you, your family and each other to get you back to health. At Fred Hutch, we provide all standard therapies for MDS and offer you access to the latest innovations through clinical trials.
This involves look at the form and structure of the cells.
There are many resources online for learning about your disease. Health educators at the Fred Hutch Patient and Family Resource Center have compiled a list of trusted sources to help you get started.
Whether you are newly diagnosed, going through treatment or know someone with cancer, our staff are available to tailor personalized resources and answer questions about support options in the community.
Our list of online resources provides accurate health information from reliable and reputable sources, like the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).
American Cancer Society (ACS): Overview of Myelodysplastic Syndromes
If you have myelodysplastic syndrome or are a caregiver for someone who does, knowing what to expect can be helpful. Here you can find out all about myelodysplastic syndrome in adults, including risk factors, symptoms and how they are found and treated.
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO): Guide to Myelodysplastic Syndrome
This is Cancer.Net's Guide to myelodysplastic syndrome. Here you can learn more about myelodysplastic syndrome, treatment, the latest research and clinical trials.
CancerCare: Myelodysplastic Syndrome: General Information and Support
This is Cancer.Net's Guide to myelodysplastic syndrome. Here you can learn more about myelodysplastic syndrome, treatment, the latest research and clinical trials.
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS): Overview of Myelodysplastic Syndromes
If you have myelodysplastic syndrome, LLS is a good place to start to better understand your diagnosis, treatment and support options.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines for Patients: Myelodysplastic Syndromes
This step-by-step guide to the latest advances in cancer care features questions to ask your physician, patient-friendly illustrations and glossaries of terms and acronyms.