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Histologic findings in bone marrow biopsies of patients with thrombocythemic cell counts

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Summary

Histologic diagnoses from bone marrow biopsies were analyzed in a total of 1165 patients presenting with thrombocythemic platelet counts at initial examination. Two cut-off points suggested by the Polycythemia Vera Study Group to define thrombocythemia by platelet counts were compared: the former limiting value of 1000×109/l platelets versus the recently proposed value of 600×109/l. The percentage of all nonproliferative disorders was 41% under the lower, dropping to 11% under the high cut-off point. The respective figures for myeloproliferative disorders increased from 49% under the lower to 74% under the high limiting value. Primary thrombocythemia was included in 72% by the lower, and in only 40% by the high limiting value when classified by its histologic pattern in bone marrow biopsy. A striking decrease of platelet counts occurs, related to fiber increase, among each of three main groups of myeloproliferative disorders: in CML with megakaryocytic predominance from 40% down to 25%, in megakaryocytic-granulocytic myelosis (primary, i.e., agnogenic myelofibrosis) from 36.6% to 10%, and in primary thrombocythemia from 72.6% to 28.6% in cases with reticulin sclerosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pathologisches Institut der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover, Konstanty-Gutschow-Strasse 8, W-3000, Hannover 61, Germany

    T. Buhr, A. Georgii, O. Schuppan, A. Amor & V. Kaloutsi

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  1. T. Buhr
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  2. A. Georgii
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  3. O. Schuppan
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  4. A. Amor
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  5. V. Kaloutsi
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The Bone Marrow Registry is supported by grants from theDeutsche Krebshilfe, Bonn-Köln, FRG

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Buhr, T., Georgii, A., Schuppan, O. et al. Histologic findings in bone marrow biopsies of patients with thrombocythemic cell counts. Ann Hematol 64, 286–291 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01695473

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01695473

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