Choice of therapy and overall survival in patients with chronic myeloproliferative diseases

: A retrospective analysis of 106 case histories of primary chronic myeloproliferative diseases (CMPD) was undertaken: idiopathic myelofibrosis--71 (67%), polycythemia vera--29 (27.3%), and essential thrombocythemia--6 (5.7%), median age--65 years (26-84 yrs). Hydroxyurea and myelosan were mostly used as cytostatic drugs while erythrocyte mass transfusions and hemoexfusions (phlebotomy)--for life-support. Median overall survival in patients untreated with cytostatics was 95.2 years as compared with 156 months in recipients of such drugs. Survival rates in all CMPD patients with hypocellular bone marrow who had received cytostatics were lower than in those with normal or hypercellular marrow (p=0.005). Cytostatic therapy had either no impact on survival in patients with hypocellular bone marrow or was followed by decrease. Among CMPD patients who had received erythrocyte mass transfusions survival rates were significantly lower than in intact ones (p=0.0009). Median overall survival in patients receiving hemoexfusions was 193.6 months, as compared with 110.3 months in intact ones (p=0.008). Our data may be useful in selecting therapy for CMPD.