Exploring the molecular mechanisms between lymphoma and myelofibrosis.

Lymphoma is a heterogeneous malignant tumor with an increasing annual incidence. As the lymphoma progresses, bone marrow (BM) invasion gradually appears. Myelofibrosis (MF) can accompany a variety of hematological malignancies, including lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. The prognosis of lymphoma patients with myelofibrosis is poor, and a fundamental reason is that there are few studies on the correlation and pathogenesis of the two diseases. In this review, we examine the potential pathogenesis and the correlation of the two diseases.

Brucellosis complicated by myelofibrosis: report of five cases and review of literature.

Myelofibrosis is a myeloproliferative tumor, that can be secondary to malignant hematologic or inflammatory diseases, such as chronic myeloid leukemia, polycythemia vera, primary thrombocythemia, multiple myeloma, disseminated tuberculosis, or vasculitis. However, few cases of brucellosis-associated myelofibrosis have been reported. Moreover, due to the rarity of this phenomenon, it is often overlooked by clinicians, resulting in misdiagnosis and mismanagement. Thus, brucellosis should be considered as a possible cause of myelofibrosis. In the present study, we report five cases of brucellosis, of which three had myelofibrosis. In addition, to further determine the potential link between brucellosis and myelofibrosis, we retrospectively analyzed the levels of various cytokines by collecting the clinicopathologic data of patients and using immunohistochemical staining. We found that brucellosis patients with myelofibrosis had elevated levels of cytokines such as interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-1ß, basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), suggesting that the regulation of cytokines may play a central role in the development of myelofibrosis in patients with brucellosis.