Diagnostic use of CFU-E formation from peripheral blood in polycythemia vera

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from five patients with polycythemia vera (P. vera) and three with other polycythemias were cultured in a methylcellulose system. Colony-forming unit-erythroid (CFU-E) colonies appeared after seven days in the absence of added erythropoietin (Ep) in all P. vera cultures. A pattern of growth similar to the one seen for P. vera patients occurred in the culture from a patient in whom that disease was suspected. In the cultures from two of the patients with other polycythemias, erythroid colonies did not appear even in the presence of Ep. These findings emphasize the potential value of culturing peripheral blood for CFU-E colonies in diagnosing polycythemia vera.