Rambaldi, Alessandro

AbstractIn the present study, we investigated disease characteristics and clinical outcome in young patients (< 40 years) with World Health Organization (WHO)–defined essential thrombocythemia (ET) compared with early/prefibrotic primary myelofibrosis (PMF) with presenting thrombocythemia. We recruited 213 young patients (median age, 33.6 years), ncluding 178 patients (84%) with WHO-defined ET and 35 patients (16%) showing early PMF. Median follow-up time was 7.5 years. A trend for more overall thrombotic complications, particularly arterial, was seen in early PMF compared with ET. Progression to overt myelofibrosis was 3% in ET and 9% in early PMF, but no transformation into acute leukemia was observed. Combining all adverse events (thrombosis, bleeding, and myelofibrosis), the rate was significantly different (1.29% vs 3.43% of patients/year, P = .01) in WHO-ET and early PMF, respectively. In multivariate analysis, early PMF and the JAK2V617F mutation emerged as independent factors predicting cumulative adverse events.

Abstract We examined the prevalence and prognostic relevance of bone marrow reticulin fibrosis in 526 patients with World Health Organization–defined polycythemia vera evaluated at the time of initial diagnosis. Seventy-four patients (14%) displayed mostly grade 1 reticulin fibrosis, with only 2 cases showing higher-grade fibrosis. Presenting clinical and laboratory characteristics, including JAK2V617F allele burden, between patients with and without fibrosis were similar for the most part, with the exception of a higher prevalence of palpable splenomegaly in patients with fibrosis (P < .01). Patients with fibrosis were less prone to experience thrombosis during their clinical course (1.1 vs 2.7 per 100 patient-years; P = .03) and more prone to develop post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis (2.2 vs 0.8 per 100 patient-years; P = .01). There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of overall or leukemia-free survival. The present study clarifies the incidence, degree, and prognostic relevance of bone marrow fibrosis obtained at time of initial diagnosis of polycythemia vera.

Abstract Symptomatic burden in myeloproliferative neoplasms is present in most patients and compromises quality of life. We sought to validate a broadly applicable 18-item instrument (Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form [MPN-SAF], coadministered with the Brief Fatigue Inventory) to assess symptoms of myelofibrosis, essential thrombocythemia, and polycythemia vera among prospective cohorts in the United States, Sweden, and Italy. A total of 402 MPN-SAF surveys were administered (English [25%], Italian [46%], and Swedish [28%]) in 161 patients with essential thrombocythemia, 145 patients with polycythemia vera, and 96 patients with myelofibrosis. Responses among the 3 administered languages showed great consistency after controlling for MPN subtype. Strong correlations existed between individual items and key symptomatic elements represented on both the MPN-SAF and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30. Enrolling physicians' blinded opinion of patient symptoms (6 symptoms assessed) were highly correlated with corresponding patients' responses. Serial administration of the English MPN-SAF among 53 patients showed that most MPN-SAF items are well correlated (r > 0.5, P < .001) and highly reproducible (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.7). The MPN-SAF is a comprehensive and reliable instrument that is available in multiple languages to evaluate symptoms associated with all types of MPNs in clinical trials globally.