Episode 411: An Overview of Myelodysplastic Syndrome for Oncology Nurses

"Not every patient with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is going to progress and die. Only 10%–20% of them will evolve into acute myeloid leukemia. And not all of them need blood transfusions. Some present with low platelet count. It's not just people who are anemic that have MDS—it's different depending on what type of MDS they have. These are averages. We're giving you statistics based on averages, and you're an individual, so we want to treat you as an individual," ONS member Sara Tinsley-Vance, PhD, APRN, AOCN®, nurse practitioner and quality-of-life researcher at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL, told Lenise Taylor, MN, RN, AOCNS®, TCTCN™, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, during a conversation about myelodysplastic syndrome. Music Credit: "Fireflies and Stardust (http://www.incompetech.com/) " by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 Earn 0.5 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at courses.ons.org by April 17, 2027. The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Learning outcome: Nurses caring for people with myelodysplastic syndrome require knowledge of its pathophysiology, the presenting symptoms, and its diagnosis. Episode Notes • Complete this evaluation for free NCPD (https://loginlr.ons.org/sso/jwt/redir...) . • ONS Podcast™ episodes: • Episode 339: A Lesson on Labs: How to Monitor and Educate Patients With Cancer (https://www.ons.org/education-hub/onc...) • Episode 302: Patient Navigation Eliminates Disparities in Cancer Care (https://www.ons.org/education-hub/onc...) • Episode 256: Cancer Symptom Management Basics: Hematologic Complications (https://www.ons.org/education-hub/onc...) • ONS Voice articles: • Manage Cancer-Associated Anemia With Erythropoietin-Stimulating Agents (https://www.ons.org/publications-rese...) • Whole-Genome Sequencing May Guide Treatment Choices for AML and MDS (https://www.ons.org/publications-rese...) • Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles: • Deciphering TP53 Mosaic Variants on Germline Biomarker Testing: Implications for Oncology Nurses (https://www.ons.org/publications-rese...) • Myeloid Malignancies: Recognizing the Risk of Germline Predisposition and Supporting Patients and Families (https://www.ons.org/publications-rese...) • Oncology Nursing Forum article: Impact of a Hematologic Malignancy Diagnosis and Treatment on Patients and Their Family Caregivers (https://www.ons.org/publications-rese...) • ONS book: BMTCN™ Certification Review Manual (https://www.ons.org/store/books/bmtcn...) (second edition) • ONS Clinical Practice resource: Genomics Taxonomy (https://www.ons.org/genomics-taxonomy) • Genomics and Precision Oncology Learning Library (https://www.ons.org/genomics-and-prec...) • American Cancer Society: Myelodysplastic Syndrome Prognostic Scores (https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/m...) • Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation (https://www.aamds.org/) • Blood Cancer United: MDS Diagnosis (https://bloodcancerunited.org/blood-c...) • HealthTree Foundation (https://healthtree.org/education) • Myelodysplastic Syndromes Foundation: What Is MDS? (https://www.mds-foundation.org/mds-an...) To discuss the information in this episode with other oncology nurses, visit the ONS Communities (http://communities.ons.org/) . To find resources for creating an ONS Podcast club in your...