Correlation between VAF and BMB findings?

[LIGEBA]

I'm wondering if anyone has come across a report showing a direct correlation between VAF and amount of scarring determined via BMB. For instance if VAF is 20% and reticulin fibrosis is MF 0-1+/3, would it be expected that if VAF was say 50% that reticulin fibrosis might jump to MF 2/3 or even 3/3? Hope I have made sense.

[Bluetop]

Sorry can't point you to any relevant article, but it's an interesting question. I'd be interested in any responses you get.

[LIGEBA in reply to Bluetop]

Honestly I have no idea if the BMB (bone marrow biopsy) reading (reticulin fibrosis is MF 0-1+/3) is where the VAF (allele burden) number is derived from or the other way around, or completely independent of each other. Of course we can also get a VAF through bloodwork as well. Just so curious if there is any correlation. Hopefully someone here has some insight.

[EPguy]

This one report right on the subject, for PV. It's old (2013) and retrospective so there may be other data. But at least here the correlation is strong. The thin lines in the boxes are medians. They also found generally higher disease indicators for the highest VAFs, consistent with typical recent findings.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

This report is old enough that there is no discussion of reducing VAF as a possibility. Also old enough that some therapies I've never heard of were in the study group ( imatinib or dasatinib, thalidomide, P-32)

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There is a report in prior threads (I think from the Silver MPN group) that found a not-strong correlation with reducing VAF to improved fibrosis (VAF can often go down while MF fibrosis grade does not) But no doubt there are diverse findings in this area.

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Some other recent reports are tending to reticulin fibrosis being more benign while collagen fibrosis is more pathological. BMBs usually state which type, if any, is found,.

Sorry I don't have the threads on these two topics handy.

Fibro/ VAF