Is mds cancer? or pre-cancer? i know it can turn into aml, but it may stay mds. am lost in different papers i read

The Answer is yes!: Mds is a form of cancer! in the past it was called precancer meaning it slowly evolves into cancer in most cases. Now we know that mds has sufficient degree of cell damage(genetic mutations) that it slowly evolves into cancer(leukemia) and is invariably fatal in 2 to 5 years with only rare patients surviving longer.

See below...: Myelodysplastic syndrome (mds) is a form of bone marrow cancer that is generally less aggressive than leukemia but still malignant. Mds usually evolves more slowly then leukemia and sometimes can transform into acute leukemia and become more aggressive and faster evolving. The prognosis is highly dependent on type and many other factors but patients with low grade mds may survive many years.