How Is MF Diagnosed?
Sometimes, people diagnosed with myelofibrosis (MF) do not have obvious symptoms. An enlarged spleen or abnormal blood cell count may be noticed at a routine check-up. Once an enlarged spleen or abnormal blood cell count is detected, your Healthcare Professional may refer you to a specialist to confirm your diagnosis and coordinate your care.
There are different things your Healthcare Professional may do to diagnose MF. Your Healthcare Professional may:
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Blood smear
- Bone marrow biopsy
- Genetic tests
How is MF Classified?
Your Healthcare Professional may evaluate your MF and assign it a specific severity (or risk) level (eg, low, intermediate, or high risk) based on the number of risk factors that you have. These may include:
- Age (being over the age of 65)
- Symptoms
- Anemia
- White blood cell counts
- Number of blasts (immature blood cells)
- Platelet counts
- Genetic factors
- Frequency of blood transfusions
Because MF is a progressive disease, it’s important to talk with your Healthcare Professional about your individual MF risk level and to work together to keep track of how your MF may be changing over time. Remember, having this information empowers you to have more informed, meaningful discussions about your disease status. Your MF risk knowledge will also help you make sure that your care management approach is the right one for you.
According to one clinical study, almost 90% of patients with primary MF were considered to be intermediate or high risk within 1 year of their MF diagnosis.
Watch physician assistant and Medical Science Liaison (MSL) at Incyte Amber Essenmacher explain the potential benefits of consulting a myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) specialist after your MF diagnosis.
When I got my diagnosis, we realized the future was not going to look like what we thought it would. —Marilyn, diagnosed with post-essential thrombocythemia MF
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