Synonyms
Definition
A condition in which the hemoglobin amount and the erythrocytes count are increased over the normal values.
Characteristics
The Greek term polycythemia (literally, many cells in the blood) corresponds, in the clinical setting, to the word erythrocytosis. This condition exists when hemoglobin amount and the erythrocytes count are increased as the consequence of a buildup of the total volume of red cells.
It is possible to distinguish primary and secondary forms as well as congenital or acquired polycythemias.
Primary polycythemias show an enhanced capability of the erythroid progenitors to respond to normal levels of circulating cytokines as the consequence of genetic mutations (both germline inherited and somatically acquired) that cause an increased proliferation or a decreased apoptosis of erythrocytes precursors. From a functional point of view, in these forms, there is a dissociation between the total oxygen-carrying ability (i.e., the total...
Keywords
- Polycythemia Vera
- Erythroid Progenitor
- JAK2V617F Mutation
- Secondary Erythrocytosis
- Secondary Polycythemia
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References
Ang SO, Chen H, Hirota K et al (2002) Disruption of oxygen homeostasis underlies congenital Chuvash polycythemia. Nat Genet 32:614–621
Gordeuk VR, Stockton DW, Prchal JT (2005) Congenital polycythemias/erythrocytoses. Haematologica 90:109–116
James C, Ugo V, Le Couedic JP et al (2005) A unique clonal JAK2 mutation leading to constitutive signalling causes polycythaemia vera. Nature 434:1144–1148
Khan J, Wei JS, Ringnér M et al (2001) Classification and diagnostic prediction of cancers using gene expression profiling and artificial neural networks. Nat Med 7:673–679
Tefferi A (2006) Classification, diagnosis and management of myeloproliferative disorders in the JAK2V617F era. Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program 2006:240–245
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Ragione, F.D., Perrotta, S. (2015). Polycythemia. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_4668-2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_4668-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences