Screening for Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)

by Ricker Polsdorfer, MD

En Español (Spanish Version)

Screening is a way to evaluate people without symptoms to determine if they are at risk for MDS or have already developed MDS. Screening for any disease often involves:

Assessing your medical history—This often includes a discussion of lifestyle habits that may increase your risk of having a condition like MDS.
Having tests done to identify early signs of the condition

Screening Guidelines

At this time, there are no official screening guidelines for MDS. A routine yearly checkup with your doctor will usually include blood testing. If you have MDS, it will show up in the results of the blood test. Your doctor will then do further testing.

REFERENCES:

Castro-Malaspina H, O’Reilly RJ. Aplastic anemia and the myelodysplastic syndromes. In: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 14th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 1998.

Silverman LR. Myelodysplastic syndrome. American Cancer Society website. Available at: http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancer_information/ . Accessed November 30, 2002.

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Last reviewed March 2013 by Mohei Abouzied, MD
Last Updated: 03/15/2013

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