Hi, Tina.
Welcome to Marrowforums. I don't know if we currently have any members with a combination of myeloproliferative and myelodysplastic disorders as you have, but I hope they will speak up if they are out there.
Yours is not an uncommon situation. The characteristics of both diagnoses can be present at the same time. The National Cancer Institute offers a good
summary of MDS/MPD. They say:
- In myelodysplastic diseases, the stem cells do not mature into healthy red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets. The immature blood cells, called blasts, do not work the way they should and die in the bone marrow or soon after they enter the blood. As a result, there are fewer healthy red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
- In myeloproliferative diseases, a greater than normal number of stem cells develop into one or more types of blood cells and the total number of blood cells slowly increases.
Patients diagnosed with MDS typically have some chromosomal abnormalities in their bone marrow in addition to the dysplasia (poorly formed or misshappen cells). Do you know if your most recent BMB showed any abnormalities in the chromosomes? That information could help clarify why you're now diagnosed with MDS and would also dictate more about the available treatment options.
Regards,
Ruth