Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) – Part 1: An overview of the diagnosis and treatment of the “classical” MPNs

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are rare, yet potentially life-threatening, disorders caused by overproliferation of bone marrow stem cells. The symptom burden experienced by patients with the BCR-ABL1-negative MPNs (also referred to as the classical MPNs, i.e., essential thrombocythemia [ET], polycythemia vera [PV] and myelofibrosis [MF]) can be significant and can negatively impact quality of life (QOL). Since patients with these MPNs can live for several years, thereby requiring long-term treatment and follow-up, nurses play an essential role in communicating with these patients, assessing their symptoms, and educating them on treatments and self-management strategies that can reduce their symptom burden. This article, which is the first of a two-part series, was developed to provide nurses and other healthcare professionals with a review of the diagnosis and treatment of the most common classical MPNs. The second article in this series (also available in this issue) will provide nurses with practical guidance for managing the symptom burden associated with MPNs in order to help enhance the overall health and well-being of patients living with these disorders