Staging is the process used to determine how far your disease has advanced. This information helps your physicians identify the best treatments for you. Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are often staged using the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS).
The IPSS system scores patients according to their risk factors, classifying them as low, intermediate-1, intermediate-2 or high risk. The score predicts a patient’s survival from the time of diagnosis. The newer revised IPSS system was developed to provide an even more precise prognosis.
Three factors are used in scoring:
- The number of blasts (immature cells) in the bone marrow
- How many types of blood cells are lower than normal (cytopenias)
- The presence and types of abnormalities in your chromosomes. About half of MDS patients have an abnormal chromosome, but so far, no links have been found between a particular abnormal chromosome and a particular MDS subtype (with the exception of a deletion in chromosome 5 (5q-), which is associated with refractory anemia).