Hi Maureen, Splenectomy, or removal of the spleen, may be an effective treatment option for myelodysplastic syndromes patients with less than 10 percent immature blood cells and who do not respond to blood transfusions or initial treatment with drugs that suppress the immune system.
The spleen is an organ that filters old red blood cells and platelets out of the blood stream. It also works to activate the immune system when an infection is detected.
The spleen may be removed when it becomes so enlarged that it is destructive to red blood cells and platelets, when a hard blow to the spleen causes it to bleed, or if cancer spreads to the organ.
Spleen removal is currently used to treat congenital erythropoietic porphyria, in which red blood cell proteins are not made properly, and congenital pyruvate kinase deficiency, in which patients do not produce a necessary protein to keep red blood cells alive.
A small number of reports have suggested that the removal of the spleen is an effective treatment for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients with immune-related low platelet counts.
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