Treatment strategies for myelodysplastic syndrome in 2021

The heterogeneous nature of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) brings a very variable prognosis of patients with the need for individualized treatment. The prognosis and treatment depend on the conventional determination of IPSS (International Prognostic Scoring System) and its revised form IPSS-R, which divides patients into lower and higher risk groups. Treatment of patients with lower risk of MDS include the improvement of cytopenia, especially anemia. The goal of treatment in patients with higher risk of MDS is delaying disease progression and improve patient survival. The only curative method for therapy of MDS is allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), howewer it is rarely applicable due to the age and comorbidities of patients.