Circulating haemopoietic progenitor cells in primary and secondary myelofibrosis: relation to collagen and reticulin fibrosis

The relationship between the extent of bone marrow reticulin and collagen f ibrosis and the concentration of granulocytic (CFU-GM), erythroid (BFU-E) a nd megakaryocyte (CFU-Mk) progenitor cells in the peripheral blood of patie nts with primary agnogenic myeloid metaplasia (AMM) and secondary myelofibr osis (sMF) has not been definitively correlated. We studied 23 patients wit h established diagnosis of AMM and 12 patients with sMF for the extent of r eticulin and collagen bone marrow fibrosis and for the spontaneous colony ( sCFU-GM, sBFU-E and sCFU-Mk) formation. The control group consisted of 11 h ealthy volunteers. Trephine biopsy of the posterior iliac crest was perform ed in all individuals studied to determine the type and degree of reticulin and collagen fibrosis. Gomori's silver impregnation technique was used. sC FU-GM, sBFU-E and sCFU-Mk colony formation was related positively to spleen size, the white blood cell counts and the degree of collagen fibrosis in A MM (p < 0.01). Stimulated CFU-GM were also significantly correlated with th e degree of bone marrow reticulin and collagen fibrosis. There was no corre lation between the extent of peripheral blood progenitor concentration and the degree of bone marrow reticulin or collagen fibrosis in sMF and in cont rol individuals. In conclusion, the extent of bone marrow fibrosis is signi ficantly correlated with the peripheral blood progenitor colony formation i n AMM but not in sMF.