Idiopathic Myelofibrosis: Evidence for Pathological Crosstalk Between Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes and Megakaryocytes

Idiopathic myelofibrosis (MF), also known as primary MF or MF with myeloid metaplasia, is a clonal myeloproliferative disorder characterized by bone marrow fibrosis, extramedullary hematopoiesis, splenomegaly, and an elevated number of peripheral blood hematopoietic precursors [1-3]. It has been shown that an abnormal release of growth factors such as transforming growth factor-s (TGFs) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) may be responsible for the development of medullary fibrosis [4,5]. Megakaryocytes (MK) are the principal bone marrow source of these growth factors [6, 7].