Spectrum of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms in North India

Researchers for a study presented at the 12^th International Congress on Myeloproliferative Neoplasms used clinical data, laboratory investigations and bone marrow histomorphologic features as the basis for classification of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) among patients in North India.

 To conduct this study, researchers sought to retrospectively assess the hematological and parameters and bone marrow histomorphology in 120 cases of patients with MPNs who were diagnosed over a period of 12 years. These cases comprised: 97 patients diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML); six patients with polycythemia vera (PV); five patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET); 11 with Primary Myelofibrosis (PMF); and one with chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL).

According to the results, most patients (81.7%) were diagnosed with CML, while 5% were diagnosed 5% PV, 4.2% with ET, and 9.2% as PMF and 0.8% as CNL. The researchers found that the maximum number of cases of MPNs occurred in the 51-60 age group with fever presenting as the most common clinical symptom, followed by abdominal problems.

Moreover, the maximum number of MPN cases were found to be in the 21-30 age group age group (22.7%) followed by 41-50 years (20.6%). Overall, the average age mean age of MPN presentation was 40.7 years – with 56.7% patients in chronic phase, 12.4% in accelerated phase, and 30.9% patients were in blast phase at the time of presentation.

“The clinical presentations are earlier than those in the western literature,” the research authors wrote. “This analysis can be beneficial to physicians and hematologists in developing countries who do not have access to the latest diagnostic techniques like cytogenetics, RT-PCR or FISH.”

Tahlan A, et al. Spectrum of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms in North India. Presented at the 12^th International Congress on Myeloproliferative Neoplasms; October 24-25, 2019; New York, NY.