What is MDS?
MDS is a type of blood cancer where the bone marrow does not work properly and makes faulty blood cells. Around 2,150 people are diagnosed with MDS in the UK each year. In this section, find out more about MDS including the different types and what causes it.
Funding information
The following pharmaceutical companies and charitable organisations helped fund this information, but had no influence over it: Abbvie, AstraZeneca, Incyte, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Kyowa Kirin, Roche, Sobi UK, The Garfield Weston Foundation, The Steel Charitable Trust and The Grace Trust.
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) explained
If you have MDS, your bone marrow makes faulty blood cells and you don't have enough healthy blood cells in your blood.
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) causes
For most people we don't know what causes MDS, but we know there are risk factors that make it slightly more likely to happen.
Types of MDS
There are different types of MDS, which each behave in different ways. The type you have can affect your prognosis and treatment.
Just diagnosed with MDS
Being told you have MDS can be a lot to take in. We have information for anyone diagnosed with blood cancer, to help you through the next steps.
This information has been accredited with the PIF TICK, the UK's only quality mark for trusted health information.
Many thanks to consultant haematologists Dr Daniel Wiseman and Dr Pramila Krishnamurthy for checking the medical accuracy of our MDS information.