National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Myelodysplastic Syndrome With Excess Blasts

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Other Names:
Refractory anemia with excess blasts; RAEB
This disease is grouped under:
Myelodysplastic syndrome with excess blasts is a rare type of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).[1] In this type of MDS, the number of very early forms of blood cells (blasts) are increased in the bone marrow and/or blood. There is also a low numbers of at least one type of blood cell. The early forms of cell types in the bone marrow (red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets) may or may not look abnormal (dysplasia) under the microscope. Signs and symptoms may include a very hard to treat and persistent anemia (refractory anemia), frequent infections (due to low numbers of neutrophils), easy bruising and bleeding (due to low number or abnormal platelets). MDS with excess blasts is one of the MDS most likely to turn into acute myeloid leukemia (AML).[1][2] It is classified into 2 types, based on how many of the cells in the bone marrow or blood are blasts:[1][2][3]
  • MDS-EB1: blasts make up 5% to 9% of the cells in the bone marrow, or 2% to 4% of the cells in the blood 
  • MDS-EB2: blasts make up 10% to 19% of the cells in the bone marrow, or 5% to 19% of the cells in the blood; this type has a higher risk to become AML.
Some cases of MDS are linked to known risk factors (such as smoking, chemotherapy, having a genetic syndrome that increases the chance of developing MDS and other). These factors lead to changes in the DNA in bone marrow cells may cause MDS to develop, but most often, the cause is unknown.[4] Treatment may include blood transfusions, supportive care, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and bone marrow transplant.[2][ 14773][6]
Last updated: 7/5/2018

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

Showing of 19 |
Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Anemia of inadequate production 0010972
Fatigue
Tired
Tiredness
[ more ] 		0012378
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Anemic pallor 0001017
Exertional dyspnea 0002875
Fever 0001945
Palpitations
Missed heart beat
Skipped heart beat
[ more ] 		0001962
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Abnormal albumin level 0012116
Abnormal mean corpuscular volume 0025065
Acute myeloid leukemia 0004808
Bone marrow hypocellularity
Bone marrow failure
0005528
Bone pain 0002653
Chronic infection 0031035
Dysplastic granulopoesis 0012136
Leukocytosis
Elevated white blood count
High white blood count
Increased blood leukocyte number
[ more ] 		0001974
Multiple lineage myelodysplasia 0012148
Pedal edema
Fluid accumulation in lower limbs
Lower leg swelling
[ more ] 		0010741
Retinal hemorrhage
Retinal bleeding
0000573
Single lineage myelodysplasia 0012150
Thrombocytopenia
Low platelet count
0001873
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Patient Registry

  • A registry supports research by collecting of information about patients that share something in common, such as being diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome With Excess Blasts. The type of data collected can vary from registry to registry and is based on the goals and purpose of that registry. Some registries collect contact information while others collect more detailed medical information. Learn more about registries.

    Registries for Myelodysplastic Syndrome With Excess Blasts:
    The Pediatric Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Bone Marrow Failure (BMF) Registry
     

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

In-Depth Information

  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.

  1. What is myelodysplastic syndrome – Refractory Anaemia with Excess Blasts (RAEB)?. Leukaemia Foundation. https://www.leukaemia.org.au/disease-information/myelodysplastic-syndromes/types-mds/raeb/.
  2. Hasserjia RP. Pathology of Myelodysplastic Syndrome With Excess Blasts. Medscape Reference. March 5, 2018; https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1997173-overview.
  3. Types of Myelodysplastic Syndromes. American Cancer Society. 2018; https://www.cancer.org/cancer/myelodysplastic-syndrome/about/mds-types.html.
  4. What causes myelodysplastic syndromes. American Cancer Society. January 22, 2018; https://www.cancer.org/cancer/myelodysplastic-syndrome/causes-risks-prevention/what-causes.html.
  5. Wang M, Han HH, Guo R, Liu YF, Jiang ZX & Sun H. Clinical Efficacy of Low-dose Decitabine Combined with CAG Regimen in Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndrome-refractory Anemia with Excess Blasts(MDS-RAEB). Zhongguo Shi Yan Xue Ye Xue Za Zhi. October, 2017; 25(5):1482-1486. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29070129.
  6. Locatelli F & Strahm B. How I treat myelodysplastic syndromes of childhood.. Blood. March 29, 2018; 131(13):1406-1414. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29438960.