Open AccessBlastic Transformation of Essential Thrombocythemia
Author(s) -
Honma Keiichi,
Nemoto Keiichi,
Ohnishi Yoshihisa,
Kimura Kakuhei
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
acta patholigica japonica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 74
ISSN - 0001-6632
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1827.1989.tb02415.x
Subject(s) - essential thrombocythemia , thrombocytosis , bone marrow , pathology , medicine , busulfan , basophilia , bone marrow examination , biopsy , gastroenterology , platelet , disease , hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
A case of blastic transformation of essential thrombocythemia (ET) is reported. A 69 year old male was first admitted to hospital because of fever in February, 1982. He was diagnosed as having ET because of marked thrombocytosis (205.5 ± 10 10 /1), absence of erythrocytosis, absence of splenomegaly, normal karyotype and no increment of blasts in the bone marrow, and normal levels of neutrophil alkaline phosphatase, vitamin B 12 and folate. He was treated with busulfan, and subsequently his platelet count was well controlled for about five years. At the second admission, blasts were present in the peripheral blood, and later accounted for 49% of the total leukocyte count. Histological examination of a bone biopsy specimen showed homogeneous proliferation of blastic cells and slight reticulin fibrosis. At autopsy, the degree of bone marrow fibrosis had increased. This was considered to be a very rare case of ET with blastic transformation in the terminal phase. Acta Pathol Jpn 39: 670‐676, 1989.