Doctors can’t identify a specific cause in 9 out of 10 MDS cases. These are called “de novo” MDS, meaning arising without a known cause. The remaining Myelodysplastic Syndromes Myelodysplastic Syndromes: (my-eh-lo-diss-PLASS-tik SIN-dromez) A group of disorders where the bone marrow does not work well, and the bone marrow cells fail to make enough healthy blood cells. Myelo refers to the bone marrow. Dysplastic means abnormal growth or development. People with MDS have low blood cell count for at… cases result from treatment given for another cancer. Doctors call this Treatment-Related MDS, t-MDS or Secondary MDS Secondary MDS: A type of MDS that is caused by a previous treatment foranother another disorder or disease. Treatments typically associated with secondary MDS include radiation therapy and chemotherapy used to treat cancer. Also called therapy-related MDS, T-MDS. .
De Novo MDS
The cause of most MDS cases is unknown. Doctors refer to this as de novo de novo: (di-NO-vo) Brand new, referring to the first time something occurs. MDS that is untreated or that has no known cause is called de novo MDS. MDS. Two known factors can increase the likelihood of getting de novo MDS:
- People who smoke
- People who have been heavily exposed to certain chemicals, such as benzene benzene: A chemical that is widely used by the chemical industry in the United States to make plastics, resins, nylon and synthetic fibers. Benzene is found in tobacco smoke, vehicle emissions, and gasoline fumes. Exposure to benzene may increase the risk of developing a bone marrow failure disease. Benzene…
De novo MDS cannot be passed down through genes from parent to child or transmitted from person to person.
While anyone can get de novo MDS, you are more likely to be diagnosed with de novo MDS if you are:
- Male
- White
- Age 60 or older (average diagnosis age is 71)
Treatment-related MDS
About 1 out of 10 people with MDS developed it due to treatments they had for other cancers. This is called treatment-related MDS (t-MDS). This form of MDS can be severe and harder to treat than de novo MDS. You may also hear doctors call this:
- Therapy-related MDS
- Secondary MDS
On average, treatment-related MDS happens 5 to 7 years following treatment for other cancers. Overall, the chance of developing MDS as a result of another cancer treatment is very low. Less than 1 in 100 people treated for other cancers develop MDS. The risk increases for patients who have had multiple rounds of chemotherapy chemotherapy: (kee-moe-THER-uh-pee) The use of medicines that kill cells (cytotoxic agents). People with high-risk or intermediate-2 risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) may be given chemotherapy to kill bone marrow cells that have an abnormal size, shape, or look. Chemotherapy hurts healthy cells along with… and radiation therapy or have had a bone marrow transplant bone marrow transplant: A bone marrow transplant (BMT) is also called a stem cell transplant (SCT) or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).The procedure replaces unhealthy blood-forming stem cells with healthy ones and offers some patients the possibility of a cure. But for many patients, a BMT is not an option due… .
Cancer patients at higher risk for developing Myelodysplastic syndromes may include:
- Anyone treated for breast cancer
- Anyone treated for other blood or bone marrow bone marrow: The soft, spongy tissue inside most bones. Blood cells are formed in the bone marrow. disorders such as lymphoma, multiple myeloma, or chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- Anyone treated for head and neck cancers, gastrointestinal cancers, lung cancers, and possibly men treated for prostate cancer.