Myelofibrosis is a disorder of the bone marrow, in which the marrow is replaced by fibrous (scar) tissue. When the bone marrow is scarred, it cannot make enough blood cells. This leads to anemia, weakness, fatigue, and often an enlarged spleen. Myelofibrosis is an uncommon type of chronic leukemia — a cancer that affects the blood-forming tissues in the body. Myelofibrosis belongs to a group of diseases called myeloproliferative disorders. The condition occurs when blood stem cells develop somatic mutations in the JAK2, MPL, CALR, and TET2 genes. Other genes may also be involved. The condition is generally not inherited. Although myelofibrosis can occur at any age, it typically develops after the age of 50. In most cases, myelofibrosis gets progressively worse. Treatment is aimed at relieving signs and symptoms and may include medications, blood transfusions, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery.
Learn more about myelofibrosis as Joan, a myelofibrosis survivor, speaks with John Mascarenhas, MD of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY. Please give us your feedback at http://www.lls.org/myelofibrosiseval to help us create future videos that meet your needs.
Support for this video provided by Incyte Corporation