What is MDS?
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), also referred to as myelodysplasia,
are blood cancers that affect the production of normal production and
function of blood cells that are usually produced in the bone marrow.
This can lead to a decreased number of red blood cells (causing
anaemia), white blood cells (leukopenia with increased risk of
infection) and platelets (thrombocytopenia with increased risk of
bleeding).
You can access further information about MDS, including risk factors,
symptoms, diagnosis and treatment from
Cancer
Council Victoria. You can also
call
our trusted cancer nurses on 13 11 20 for support and to learn about
our range of services for people affected by cancer.
The Victorian Cancer Registry also operates an interactive web
portal,
Data
Explorer, which provides more trends and statistics than published
here.
How common is MDS?
In 2024, 440 Victorians were diagnosed with MDS. Of these, there were
281 males and 159 females, representing 64% and 36% of the total
Victorian MDS diagnoses, respectively. Currently, MDS is diagnosed at a
rate of 6.8 per 100,000 males and 3.2 per 100,000 females. The median
age at diagnosis of MDS is 78 years in males and 79 in females (Figure 1
& 2). Accounting for 1.1% of all cancers diagnosed and 1.5% of all
cancer-related deaths in 2024, MDS was the 21st most commonly diagnosed
cancer and the 20th most common cause of cancer-related deaths in
Victoria in 2024.
Trends in MDS over time
Figure 3a shows for males between 2006 to 2024 the age standardised
incidence rate of MDS declined by an average of 1.4% per year.
For females between 2006 to 2024 the age standardised incidence rate
of MDS declined by an average of 1.4% per year.
Geographical variance in MDS by local government area
Figure 4 demonstrates variation in the estimated risk of being
diagnosed with MDS, by local government area, relative to the Victorian
average. Red shading indicates areas with higher risk and blue shading
indicates areas with lower risk relative to Victoria.
MDS in people born overseas
Figure 5 shows the standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) of MDS in
Australian-born Victorians compared to other major migrant groups, over
the five-year period 2019 to 2023. The highest standardised incidence
ratio (SIR) for MDS was 1.1 for males born in the North America region
and the lowest SIR of 0.44 was observed in males born in the South-East
Asia region. The highest standardised incidence ratio (SIR) for MDS was
1.2 for females born in the Middle East and North Africa region and the
lowest SIR of 0.53 was observed in females born in the Southern and
Central Asia region.
MDS five-year relative survival
Figure 6 shows the change in 5-year survival for MDS, and the 5-year
survival trend for all cancers over the same time period. It
demonstrates that five-year relative survival has increased for MDS
between 2005-2009 and 2020-2024 from 37% to 45%.