With myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), many patients and families often come in asking what the prognosis is. Although there are many more accurate prognostic assessment systems available, they are generally only operated by medical professionals. Here we teach you to master a simpler assessment system that you can use to make a rough assessment yourself. The IPSS International Prognostic Scoring System, which has been in use for 18 years now, can generally assess the natural course of a patient’s disease. The grading of risk is determined according to 3 factors: percentage of primitive cells, degree of hematocrit and cytogenetic characteristics of the bone marrow. The groups are as follows: low risk 0 points; intermediate risk-1 0.5-1.0 points; intermediate risk-2 1.5-2.0 points; high risk ≥2.5 points. In general, patients with bone marrow primitive cells greater than or equal to 5% tend to be intermediate-high status patients, while patients with less than 5% tend to be intermediate-status patients. The percentage of primitive cells in the bone marrow is a very important differentiator. International Prognostic Score System (IPSS) for myelodysplastic syndromes Prognostic variables Criteria Score Bone marrow primitive cells <5% 0 5%-10% 0.5 11%-20% 1.5 21%-30% 2.0 Chromosomal karyotype Good [normal, --Y, del(5q), del(20q)] 0 Moderate ( remaining abnormalities) 0.5 Poor [complex (3 abnormalities) or abnormal chromosome 7] 1.0 Hematocrit* None or reduced in one lineage 0 Reduced in two or three lineages 0.5 Note: *Neutrophil count <1.5×109/L, HGB <100 g/L, PLT <100×109/L