Molecular profiling of peripheral blood cells from patients with polycythemia vera and related neoplasms: Identification of deregulated genes of significance for inflammation and immune surveillance

Using gene expression profiling of whole blood from patients with ET (n = 16), PV (n = 36), and PMF (n = 9), several genes involved in inflammation and immune regulation were found to be significantly deregulated. Our findings may reflect chronic inflammation to be of pathogenetic importance for the progression of these neoplasms toward the myelofibrotic end-stage and may also account for the increased frequency of second cancer in these diseases.