Single chromosomal abnormalities in Philadelphia-negative chronic myeloproliferative disorders

In Philadelphia-negative chronic myeloproliferative disorders (CMPD), increased proliferation with effective maturation of the myeloid lineage is present, while peripheral leukocytosis, thrombocytosis or elevated red blood cell mass are found. This group of disorders includes polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF). Furthermore, cases that cannot be clearly defined are regarded as unclassified CMPD. In Philadelphia-negative CMPD, recurrent cytogenetic abnormalities occur, but no specific abnormality has been defined to date. Chromosomal abnormalities detected in a neoplastic disease as a sole anomaly are of major importance, possibly constituting primary changes implicated in the initiation or progression of the neoplastic process. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and the type of single chromosomal changes in Philadelphia-negative CMPD patients.

By conventional cytogenetics, 245 Philadelphia-negative CMPD cases at diagnosis were investigated for the frequency and the type of single chromosomal aberrations.

Seventeen patients presented single chromosomal changes. These aberrations were, according to frequency, +8 (in 3 PV cases, 2 IMF and 2 unclassified myeloproliferative diseases), +13 in 3 cases (IMF, ET and unclassified myeloproliferative disease), monosomy 10 in 2 PV cases, monosomy 14 in one ET patient, +3, -4 and del(11)(q13) in 1 unclassified myeloproliferative disease each and monosomy 7 in 1 IMF case.

It is unclear whether these abnormalities found at the time of diagnosis play a role in CMPD. However, since an isolated chromosomal abnormality may be implicated in the initiation of the neoplastic process, the documentation of more cases of CMPD with single abnormalities at the time of diagnosis would facilitate the identification of candidate genes involved in the neoplastic process.