Jacobsen AM, et al. - In this population-based case-control study, researchers compared how patients who died within one year of diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) were different from those who survived longer to ultimately determine features of early mortality in MDS. They found that patients with abnormal cytogenetics, three or greater cytogenetic abnormalities, treatment at a community medical center (vs academic), and with 2-3 concurrent medical comorbidities experienced early mortality. Findings revealed the association of complex cytogenetics and prognostic risk category with early mortality without intervention, corroborated in this study by a large, prospectively followed cohort. Irrespective of IPSS-R risk categorization or treatment, cytogenetic abnormalities and complexity were considered significant.