Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) characterized by an increase in the number of platelets in the blood. Of the three main types of MPNs (ET, polycythemia vera, and myelofibrosis), ET is the most common, with an incidence of about 2.2 per 100,000 population yearly, according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
“It is driven primarily by molecular change in three genes — JAK2, CALR, or MPL mutation,” said Ruben Mesa, MD, director of the UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center. “Clinically, the burden these patients face is a risk of blood clots or bleeding, the potential of elevated counts, as well as the development of disease-related symptoms.”
