In a retrospective analysis of 840 patients with MDS, the degree of anemia was a significant predictor of cardiovascular death (p < 0.001), independent of transfusion status and IPSS risk.59 In NTD patients with lower-risk MDS and del(5q), 5-year overall survival rates were 65.4% for patients with Hb levels < 10 g/dL vs 81.6% for patients with Hb levels of ≥10.5 g/dL; however, this finding was not statistically significant.57 This evidence concerns the gene GSTM1 and anemia (phenotype).