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Updated: May 28, 2026
Use of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation to Assess the Origin of Myelodysplastic Syndrome
Published on: October 3, 2018
Myelodysplastic syndrome in New Zealand and Australia
1Department of Pathology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Background:
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a haematological disorder of the elderly, has been formally classified as a neoplastic disease for 10 years.
Aims:
Our aim was to collate national cancer registry incidence data to describe the epidemiology of MDS in New Zealand.
Methods:
The New Zealand Cancer Registry has now reported five complete years of incidence data, the last three of which were used for analysis. For the years 2005-2007, age-sex specific and age-standardised MDS incidence rates from New Zealand were compared with those from Australia. Age-standardised incidence rates were calculated by the direct standardisation method and standardised rate ratios were compared at the 5, 1 and 0.1% levels.
Results:
Diagnoses of MDS represented 1.3% of total cancer registrations in New Zealand and 1.0% in Australia. In both New Zealand and Australia, 86-87% of MDS cases were diagnosed in individuals ≥60 years of age, the incidence increased significantly with age, and males had a significantly higher age-standardised incidence rate (P < 0.001) than females. The incidence rate for New Zealand males was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than Australian males. In both New Zealand males and females, the age-standardised incidence rate of MDS was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than most other haematological neoplasms.
Conclusions:
In New Zealand and Australia, MDS is a common haematological neoplasm. The marked difference between male and female incidence rates, especially with advancing age, may provide insights into the causes of this disease.
