Polycythaemia rubra vera. Analysis on 20 cases

The authors presents her experience in polycythaemia rubra vera. A number of 20 cases have been studied, with a peak of polycythaemic values of 20.6/dl for the Hb, a Ht of 80%, an WBC count of 28,000/cmm and a platelet count of 1,400,000/cmm. The following peculiarities of the cases should be underlined: 1. the personal and hereditary collateral antecedents which reveal a significant pathological background; 2. the very slow evolutive potential of the malignant erythroid clone, which permitted a quasi-normal way of life for many years; 3. a careful therapy, differentiated with respect to the evolutive stage of disease, which resulted in a long survival (over 17 years).