Prefibrotic primary myelofibrosis

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Prefibrotic primary myelofibrosis
Other namesPre-PMF, Early stage myelofibrosis
Specialty Hematology and oncology

Prefibrotic primary myelofibrosis (Pre-PMF) is a rare blood cancer, classified by the World Health Organization as a distinct type of myeloproliferative neoplasm in 2016. [1] The disease is progressive to overt primary myelofibrosis, though the rate of progression is variable and not all patients progress. Symptoms and presentation can mimic essential thrombocythemia, with the main differentiator for pre-PMF being the presence of fibrosis in the bone marrow.

Contents

Diagnosis

A bone marrow examination is required for diagnosis.

Major Criteria

The bone marrow histology should demonstrate the following: [2]

Minor Criteria

According to the WHO, at least one of these minor criteria should be present: [1]

Comparison with primary myleofibrosis

Reticulin or collagen fibrosis grade 2 or 3 is a diagnostic criteria for primary myelofibrosis.

Comparison with Essential Thrombocythemia

Both pre-PMF and Essential thrombocythemia can share diagnostic similarities, such as a proliferation of megakaryocytes and a presence of a mutation. The presence of Reticulin fibrosis in pre-PMF provides the clearest distinction between the two.

Treatment

Patients considered low risk for thrombosis or major bleeding should be observed only. Low-dose aspirin is recommended for patients without a history of thrombosis. For intermediate risk patients, symptom driven therapy for anaemia or constitutional symptoms.[ citation needed ]

For high risk patients with a history of thrombosis, oral anticoagulants and cytoreductive drugs such as hydroxycarbamide are recommended, and the patient should be treated as in primary myelofibrosis. [1] [3]

Prognosis

Prognosis of pre-PMF currently suffers from a lack of multi-center data, with several biases resulting from the disease being newly distinct in WHO's 2016 reclassification. The 10 year cumulative incidence of progression to overt PMF is between 9.7 and 31.5%. The 10 year incidence of transformation into acute myeloid leukemia ranges from 5.8% to 12%. [4]

A prognostic scoring model designed specifically for pre-PMF does not yet exist, but the International Prognostic Scoring System can be used to predict survival in pre-PMF patients. [5] A multi-center study on reclassified PMF patients showed median survival of pre-PMF patients at 17.6 years compared with 7.2 years for overt PMF patients. [1] However, another study showed 98% of pre-PMF patients were alive after 10 years from diagnosis and while overt PMF patients showed a median survival of 16.6 years, pre-PMF median survival was not able to be calculated as more than 50% of patients were still alive at the time of publication. [6]

History

First described in 1976, pre-PMF was not introduced into the WHO's classification of tumors until 2001, and not formally classified as a distinct entity until the 2016 revision. [1]

Related Research Articles

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A myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is one of a group of cancers in which immature blood cells in the bone marrow do not mature, and as a result, do not develop into healthy blood cells. Early on, no symptoms typically are seen. Later, symptoms may include fatigue, shortness of breath, bleeding disorders, anemia, or frequent infections. Some types may develop into acute myeloid leukemia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polycythemia vera</span> Overproduction of red blood cells by the bone marrow

In oncology, polycythemia vera (PV) is an uncommon myeloproliferative neoplasm in which the bone marrow makes too many red blood cells. The majority of cases are caused by mutations in the JAK2 gene, most commonly resulting in a single amino acid change in its protein product from valine to phenylalanine at position 617.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polycythemia</span> Laboratory diagnosis of high hemoglobin content in blood

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues</span> Tumors that affect the blood, bone marrow, lymph, and lymphatic system

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essential thrombocythemia</span> Overproduction of platelets in the bone marrow

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acute erythroid leukemia</span> Medical condition

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References

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