The NCI label indicates a Comprehensive Cancer Center as designated by the National Cancer Insitute (NCI). These U.S. treatment centers have been found by the NCI to have "demonstrated reasonable depth and breadth of research activities in each of three major areas: laboratory, clinical, and population-based research, with substantial transdisciplinary research that bridges these scientific areas" and to have demonstrated "professional and public education and dissemination of clinical and public health advances into the community it serves." See NCI description and full history. You can download the NCI's list of Comprehensive Cancer Centers as a PDF file (28K) or a plain text file or read the description and list in Spanish.

The CoE label indicates an MDS Center of Excellence as designated by The MDS Foundation. Treatment centers apply to be listed, rather than being selected by independent reviewers. To be listed, an institution should have an established university or equivalent program, recognized expertise in MDS, ongoing research, clinical trials, peer-reviewed publications in the field, and agree to register patients in The MDS Foundation's International MDS Patient Registry.

An MDS Patient Registry maintained by the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University is open to new patients in the U.S., age 18 or older, who have been diagnosed with MDS in the last 3 months.