Is it normal for someone with ET to have blasts percentage 1%-2% in the bone marrow?

[Aneliv9]

Is it normal for someone with ET to have blasts percentage 1%-2% in the bone marrow?

[clubdino]

If I remember correctly normal bone marrow contains 0-5% blasts.

[Paul123456 in reply to clubdino]

That’s correct, I was 3%- 4%

[flog in reply to Paul123456]

Hi Paul, do you know if these are the same as the blasts seen in the blood film morphology?

[Aneliv9 in reply to flog]

Blasts should not be seen in the blood from an article that i read. I suppose blasts in the blood is a a different situation.

[flog in reply to Aneliv9]

Thankyou for your reply

[clubdino in reply to flog]

You should only see blasts in the blood with leukemia or myelofibrosis...never with ET or PV. They are immature cells that have been pushed out of the bone marrow too soon because it has become fibrotic.

[flog in reply to clubdino]

Thankyou for your reply, I have post ET/MF and had blasts of 2% on my last two visits to the hospital. Will need to clarify the meaning of this at my next visit.

[clubdino in reply to flog]

I'm guessing it was in the blood since they even mentioned it to you because that percentage would be normal in the bone marrow even in a person without a MPN. Of course that's just a guess. I think in myelofibrosis you can have up to 20% blasts in your blood. Once you surpass 20% you are then considered to have AML. I hope you are able to continue watch and wait for many years to come.

[flog in reply to clubdino]

Thanks once again for the information, I am a 45 year old male and I was ET CALR mutation for approximately 8 years prior to the MF diagnosis, there is so little information out there re progression and any help from fellow MPNers is much appreciated.

[clubdino in reply to flog]

So you're a young one too? I was diagnosed in my 20s and I worry about transforming to MF. The good news is that although CALR positive people are more likely to transform to MF when we do get MF it is usually not as aggressive as it is when JAK2 positive people get it. My doctors have never given me much information at all so I research everything on my own. My background in the veterinary field helps me decipher some of the complicated papers but I can't imagine trying to decipher those papers/studies without any medical knowledge.

[flog in reply to clubdino]

You are right, without the input of people like yourself with a medical / veterinary medical background understanding some of the papers are nigh on impossible to understand.

[Paul123456 in reply to flog]

My understanding is that blasts in blood imply a different diagnosis to blasts in marrow.

[flog in reply to Paul123456]

Thankyou for your reply I have post ET/MF and had blasts of 2% on my last two visits to the hospital. On a watch and wait and no medication at the moment, so will clarify the significance of the blasts at my next appointment.