1. ¹Department of Haematology, Royal Free and University College London Medical School, London, UK
2. ²Second Department of Internal Medicine, Propaedeutic, Medical School, University of Athens, University General Hospital 'Attikon', Haidari, Greece
3. ³Department of Haematology, Christie Hospital NHS Trust, Manchester, UK

Correspondence: Dr PD Kottaridis, Department of Haematology, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG, UK. E-mail: Panagiotis.Kottaridis@royalfree.nhs.uk

Received 21 June 2006; Revised 24 August 2006; Accepted 29 August 2006; Published online 2 October 2006.

Abstract

Idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF) is a clonal disorder resulting from the proliferation of aberrant hematopoietic stem cells. Conventional treatment is unsatisfactory, and with the exception of supportive blood transfusions, none of the standard therapies have been shown to confer a survival advantage. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation represents the only treatment modality with proven curative potential. Myeloablative conditioning regimens are associated with high transplant-related mortality, particularly in the elderly, making most patients with IMF ineligible for this treatment. Strategies using reduced intensity conditioning regimes have allowed application of allogeneic transplantation to a broader range of patients and a number of recent reports have demonstrated potential efficacy.