In the United States, approximately 20,000 new cases of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) will be diagnosed each year. MDS has an increased prevalence with increasing age and affects males more frequently than females. Patients with MDS can be stratified into 2 broad subgroups: lower- and higher-risk disease. For patients with lower-risk MDS (LR-MDS), therapy is based on transfusion needs. The use of erythroid-stimulating agents (ESAs) is common, with a number of ESAs available for use.