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DiscussionWhat to look for if ET is progressing to something else.
Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: Jul 16 10:02am | Replies (10)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "Hi Lori, Thank you for your informative reply. Please explain what you meant and how it..."
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Hi @1pearl, There are a number of different blood conditions and cancers with subsets to each. In your case you were diagnosied with ET/MF which are types of MPNs (myeloproliferative neoplasms).
I had AML,which is an acute form of a myeloid leukemia. MDS, (myelodisplastic syndrome) is a type of blood cancer. Some forms of MDS can mutate and progress quickly to AML. Knowing what I know now, I suspect I may have had MDS which accelerated to AML. But by the time I was diagnosed, my blast cell count (cancer cells) composed 85% of my blood, requiring months of aggressive chemo to get me to remission so that I could have a bone marrow transplant. Had my complacent PCP followed up with original bloodwork the year before (I was not aware) or referred me out to a H/O, I might have known about the MDS and had a pre-emptive transplant. I would have insisted on more testing and a bone arrow biopsy. But that’s water over the dam now. 😉
For MPNs, several options for treatments are listed in informational articles. Some may help slow the progression, depending on the type and risk factors. Here are a couple of articles from reliable sources. Not sure if I’d posted them for you before or not. But interesting reading.
~Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/myelofibrosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20355057
~Health line:
https://www.healthline.com/health/cancer/myeloproliferative-disorders
You may not need any intervention for a long time, if any. I know you’re super active, you eat healthy and exercise. Plus you have a wonderfully positive attitude. All of these make such a huge impact on our lives. So keep up with regular labs but don’t let any of this interfer with your joy of life!