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carol cameron was diagnosed with the blood cancer essential thrombocythemia (et) the way many people are: through a blood test for a completely unrelated issue. she had been suffering with stomach issues so her family doctor referred her to a gastroenterologist. as part of getting to a diagnosis, he ordered routine blood work, which showed that her platelet count was more than twice the normal range, which is a common indication of cancer. cameron then saw a hematologist who did a bone marrow biopsy — a procedure in which a thin needle is inserted into the pelvic bone (sometimes the breastbone) to extract a sample of bone marrow for examination.
the diagnosis was confirmed: cameron had et, one of a group of three progressive blood cancers called myeloproliferative neoplasms, or mpns. the other two include primary myelofibrosis (mf) and polycythemia vera (pv). while b oth et and pv are generally considered less aggressive, they both may progress to the more serious myelofibrosis. and all mpns have the risk of progressing to other cancers, particularly acute myeloid leukemia.
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this type of mpn, according to the cleveland clinic , is a chronic blood cancer in which the bone marrow is replaced with fibrous scar tissue.
cheryl petruk, executive director of the canadian mpn research foundation and the canadian mpn network, has intimate knowledge of the disease after caring for her late husband, eugene, who had both et and mf.
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“eugene was diagnosed in 1992 and lived for 20-plus years with et before it progressed to mf,” she says, adding that while many mpns are related to a genetic mutation, sometimes exposure to environmental toxins may play role. “ eugene lived on a farm where he was exposed to benzene and toluene — chemicals in diesel fuel.”
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when asked how many people are affected by mpns, sirhan says it’s a challenge to pin down the exact numbers of those diagnosed in canada, but it’s generally measured by dividing u.s. statistics by 10. according to the canadian mpn research foundation , the projected prevalence of mpns in the u.s. in 2010 was 12,812 people diagnosed with myelofibrosis, 148,363 with polycythemia vera and 134,534 people with essential thrombocythemia.
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