High absolute basophil count is a powerful independent predictor of inferior overall survival in patients with primary myelofibrosis.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the clinical and prognostic significance of absolute basophil count (ABC) in patients with primary myelofibrosis (PMF).

METHODS

We retrospectively investigated 58 patients with PMF treated in our institution in the period from 2006 to 2017. ABC was obtained in addition to other hematological and clinical parameters. Patients were separated into high and low ABC groups using the Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.

RESULTS

ABC was higher in PMF patients than in healthy controls (P < 0.001). Patients with high ABC had higher white blood cells (P < 0.001), higher red cell distribution width (P = 0.035), higher lactate dehydrogenase (P < 0.001), more frequently had circulatory blasts (P < 0.001), constitutional symptoms (P = 0.030) and massive splenomegaly (P = 0.014). ABC was also positively correlated with absolute monocyte count (AMC) (P < 0.001) and other components of differential blood count. There was no difference in ABC regarding driver mutations or degree of bone marrow fibrosis. Univariately, high ABC was significantly associated with inferior overall survival (hazard ratio (HR) 4.79, P < 0.001). This effect remained statistically significant (HR 4.27, P = 0.009) in a multivariate Cox regression model adjusted for age, gender, Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System (HR 2.6, P = 0.001) and AMC (HR 8.45, P = 0.002).

DISCUSSION

High ABC reflects higher disease activity and stronger proliferative potential of disease. ABC and AMC independently predict survival and therefore seem to reflect different underlying pathophysiologic processes. Hence, both have a potential for improvement of current prognostic scores.

CONCLUSION

Basophils represent a part of malignant clone in PMF and are associated with unfavorable disease features and poor prognosis which is independent of currently established prognostic scoring system and monocytosis.