The mean hepcidin levels were consistently heterogeneous across different MDS subtypes, with the lowest levels in refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts (RARS, 1.43 nM), which may be related to carrying a somatic mutation of SF3B144, and the highest in refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB, 11.3 nM) or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML, 10.04 nM) (p = 0.003 by ANOVA)45. Here, HAMP is linked to chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.