SPOTLIGHT: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)

As is the case with many of the topics we've covered, the origins of the term myelodysplasia lie in the Greek language. The word myelos means bone marrow and the word dysplasia comes from a combination of dys, meaning bad, and plasis, meaning formation. In simple terms, myelodysplasia is a type of cancer where the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells. Myelodysplasia has been noted in medical literature since the 1950s and was sometimes referred to as being pre-leukaemic conditions. It was in 1982 that myelodysplastic disorders (MDS) were recognised as separate entit...