BACKGROUND: Myelofibrosis (MF) is a disease characterized by panmyelosis with intact maturation, progressive bone marrow fibrosis, and splenomegaly with extramedullary hematopoiesis. It is the most heterogeneous disease in the group of myeloproliferative neoplasms in terms of patient characteristics and natural history of the illness. Rationale and
OBJECTIVES: This study aims to describe the clinical, laboratory profile and survival of myelofibrosis patients seen in our institution and also to descriptively compare these characteristics of Filipino MF patients to Chinese and White MF patients.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY: An analysis of patients' data retrospectively collected through review of clinical records from 1994 to 2012 was done. All patients diagnosed with primary myelofibrosis (PMF) or post-polycythemia (post-PV) myelofibrosis or post-essential thrombocytosis (post-ET) myelofibrosis were included in this study. Survival was measured from first day of diagnosis to death from any cause or last known follow-up or direct communication to patient/relatives. Survival data were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. We compared the clinical characteristics and laboratory profile at diagnosis of these Filipino myelofibrosis patients to the Chinese as reported by Xu et. al., and White MF patients as reported by Cervantes et al.
RESULTS/SUMMARY: In our patients' data set, they seem to be younger with a median age of 57, less likely having constitutional symptoms but they have higher frequency of anemia, splenomegaly and leukocytosis. The heterogeneity of myelofibrosis' clinical and laboratory features were seen in this epidemiologic study on Filipino myelofibrosis patients in comparison with Chinese and White MF patients. The clinical course is a slowly progressive chronic disease with a median survival probability of 180 months.