Kaplan-Meier analysis of overall survival and leukemia-free survival of 1110 patients diagnosed with MDS at the Department of Hematology Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy, between 1990 and 2012. MDS patients are stratified according to the 2008 WHO classification categories. Multilineage dysplasia and excess of blasts have a considerable impact on outcomes.