Myelodysplastic and Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms have features of both myelodysplastic syndromes and myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Normally, the bone marrow makes blood stem cells that over time will become mature red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets. In myelodysplastic diseases, the blood stem cells do not mature into healthy blood cells, and instead, the immature blood cells, called blasts, die in the bone marrow or soon after they enter the blood. In myeloproliferative diseases, the bone marrow produces too many blood stem cells, which go on to become one or more types of blood cells. As the extra blood cells increase, the neoplasms slowly get worse.

The two main types of myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms are chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) and atypical chronic myelogenous leukemia (aCML). In cases when myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms do not match either of these types, it is known as myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm, unclassifiable (MDS/MPN-UC). Myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms may also progress to acute leukemia.

Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Treatment (PDQ®)

Source: National Cancer Institute