Diagnosis and treatment of thrombocythemia in myeloproliferative disorders

Myeloproliferative disorders originate in the clonal expansion of a transformed pluripotential hematopoietic progenitor cell. This results in a group of syndromes that include polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, chronic myelocytic leukemia, and agnogenic myeloid metaplasia. Diagnostic criteria for polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia were codified by the Polycythemia Vera Study Group in 1967 and 1977. Subsequent modifications include criteria for evidence of clonal proliferation by abnormal bone marrow karyotype and demonstration of erythropoietin-independence of erythropoiesis or reduced serum erythropoietin. Phlebotomy is the mainstay of treatment for polycythemia vera. The defining characteristic of essential thrombocythemia is a sustained elevation of the platelet count above 600,000/muL in an untreated patient. Symptoms and risk factors are the main determinants of treatment options for patients with essential thrombocythemia. High-risk patients are candidates for cytoreduction, whereas lower-risk patients receive either no treatment, low-dose aspirin, or another antithrombotic therapy. The availability of newer nonleukemogenic and megakaryocyte-specific agents warrants a reassessment of current treatment options.