Myelodysplastic syndrome is a group of disorders affecting

• A. Leukemia
• B. Lymphoma
• C. Multiple myeloma
• D. Myelodysplastic syndrome

Answer: (D)

Myelodysplastic syndrome is a group of bone marrow disorders in which hematopoietic stem cells produce dysplastic, ineffective blood cells. This dysplasia in one or more cell lines (red cells, white cells, and/or platelets) leads to low blood counts—anemia, infections, and bleeding tendencies. The key idea is that the problem lies in the bone marrow’s production of blood cells, not in a single organ or a different cancer type. While MDS can progress to acute myeloid leukemia, it remains distinct from leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, which are cancers of different cell types or tissues.