Diagnosing MDS

In order to make a diagnosis, your doctor will review your medical history and ask about symptoms. Because MDS is a disease of the blood that starts in bone marrow, your doctor will need to take samples of your blood and of your bone marrow.

Some of the things your doctor will ask about include:

• symptoms
• medical history
• risk factors, such as exposure to toxins

Lab Tests

Lab tests using samples of blood and bone marrow cells are essential to make a correct diagnosis of an MDS disease.

• Blood test
  Usually taken from the arm, a blood sample helps doctors know if your blood is normal. The test will show the "counts" of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets that are in your blood. Also, blood tests may show other useful information. Another important measure of your blood is the percentage of blasts, which are immature blood cells. The blood sample will tell the percentage of blasts.
• Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy
  A sample of your bone marrow will tell your doctor how your bone marrow's blood production is working. It will give information on cell types, iron stores, chromosomes, and the health of the cells. Bone marrow aspiration involves removal of a few drops of marrow through a needle inserted into the bone, usually the hip. During a biopsy, a small piece of bone and bone marrow is removed.
• Cytogenetic testing
  Normal human cells contain 46 chromosomes (23 pairs). In some people with MDS, however, one or more chromosomes or parts of the chromosomes may be missing. In others, their cells may have too many copies of one or more chromosomes. Cytogenetic testing is done to help determine which chromosome changes have occurred in a patient.

The appearance and amount of your blood and bone marrow cells, as shown by the tests, will tell doctors what type of MDS you have.