The World Health Organization (WHO) classification of the chronic myeloproliferative diseases includes seven disorders, some of which are rare or poorly characterized (Table 103-1) but all of which share an origin in a multipotent hematopoietic progenitor cell, overproduction of one or more of the formed elements of the blood without significant dysplasia, a predilection to extramedullary hematopoiesis, myelofibrosis, and transformation at varying rates to acute leukemia. Within this broad classification, however, significant phenotypic heterogeneity exists. .
