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Is Essential Thrombocythemia a blood disease or cancer?
Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: Dec 29, 2025 | Replies (150)Comment receiving replies
@loribmt Thanks for your response. I was diagnosed with ET through routine labs that showed high platelet count. I had no other symptoms. I was referred to an oncologist who ordered the genetic test that found the JAK2 mutation. I was already taking a blood thinner for recently diagnosed a-fib, so I don’t take aspirin. I asked my doctor about taking low-dose aspirin as well as Eliquis since they work in different ways, but he said it wasn’t necessary. I’m still curious about that.
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@cmercer50 With ET (essential thrombocythemia) patients generally have an elevated platelet level above the normal range. This can be problematic with, basically, causing a traffic jam where the platelets can crowd/stick together and cause blood clots to form.
Aspirin acts as a blood thinner, reducing the potential for developing blood clots and strokes by keeping the platelets from sticking together. It’s broader in its applications but less effective for certain clotting disorders such as your doctor is concerned about with your a-fib.
Eliquis, though a different mechanism than aspirin, is a blood thinner that’s more targeted for specific conditions related to clotting.
Your doctor mentioned taking both types of blood thinners isn’t necessary because Eliquis has you covered. Too much of a good thing can cause issues in the opposite direction. ☺️ Does that make sense?