Epidemiology and disease characteristics of myelofibrosis: a comparative analysis between Italy and global perspectives

Front Oncol. 2024 Jul 24:14:1382872. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1382872. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Myelofibrosis (MF) is a clonal disorder of hematopoietic stem cells characterized by altered bone marrow function and fibrosis. The aim of this narrative review is to report on the most recent epidemiologic data and to discuss features of MF and current strategies for the management of this condition in clinical practice. MF features covered by our review will include: characteristics of patients with MF; myeloproliferative and myelodepletive phenotypes; MF-associated thrombosis and bleeding; risk of infections; prefibrotic and overt PMF; secondary MF. Finally, we will discuss a few aspects of MF management in clinical practice and suggest strategies for its optimization and standardization. The focus of our paper is on Italy, but relevant data from other countries will also be reviewed.

Keywords: CALR; JAK2; MPL; myelofibrosis; myeloproliferative neoplasms; secondary fibrosis.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. AbbVie funded the project and participated in the design of the manuscript and review of the data. No honoraria of payments were made for the publication. The authors wish to thank Lorenza Lanini, PhD, for providing editorial support on behalf of Ma.CRO Lifescience Srl, and Giuliana Gualberti of AbbVie for valuable input on the manuscript design. Editorial support was funded by AbbVie.