Purpose of review: Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a heterogeneous hematological disorder characterized by a spectrum of clinical presentation, cytogenetic, and somatic gene mutations and the risk of transformation to acute leukemia. Management options include observation, supportive care, blood transfusion, administration of growth factors and/or hypomethylating agents, and hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) either upfront or after disease progression.
Recent findings: Currently, HCT is the only curative therapy available for patients with MDS, with multiple factors such as donor availability, patient, and disease characteristics being involved in making the decision to proceed with transplant. In this article, we summarize (1) overall prognosis and natural history of MDS, (2) currently available non-HCT therapy with a focus on hypomethylating agents (HMA), (3) outcomes after HCT in patients with MDS, (4) factors to be considered to proceed to HCT for treatment of MDS, and (5) more recent/ongoing studies relevant to HCT decision-making processes.
Keywords: Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT); Hypomethylating agents (HMA); International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS); Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS); Revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R).