BCR-ABL Transcripts in Bone Marrow Aspirates of Philadelphia-Negative Essential Thrombocythemia Patients: Clinical Presentation

One of the diagnostic criteria of essential thrombocythemia laboratory characteristics, except for a significant increased patients’ age and decreased polymorphonuclear cell count (ET) is the absence of the Philadelphia chromosome (Phneg). On the molecular level, Ph-neg ET patients may carry in the BCR-ABL positive group. During a median follow-up of 20 and 22.5 months for the BCR-ABL negative and positive BCR-ABL transcript. The natural history of BCR-ABL positive Ph-neg ET patients is undetermined. We examined the BCRgroups, respectively, there was neither blastic transformation nor unrelated death in both groups. We conclude that ABL status by reverse transcriptase two-step nested polymerase chain reaction in bone marrow aspirates of 25 it is important to look for BCR-ABL transcript in Ph-neg ET patients and to follow them closely to investigate the nature Ph-neg ET patients. We found 12 BCR-ABL positive and 13 BCR-ABL negative patients in the study group. The compariof this translocation in this group of patients. q 1997 by The American Society of Hematology. son showed that the two groups had similar clinical and