title: Current opinion and consensus statement regarding the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of patients with essential thrombocythemia: a survey of the Spanish Group of Ph-negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (GEMFIN) using the Delphi method.
abstract: The current consensus on the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of essential thrombocythemia (ET) is based on experts' recommendations. However, several aspects of the diagnosis of, prognosis of, and therapy for ET are still controversial. The Delphi method was employed with an expert panel of members of the Spanish Group of Ph-negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms in order to identify the degree of agreement on the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of ET. Nine leading experts selected a total of 41 clinical hematologists with well-known expertise in ET. An electronic questionnaire was used to collect the questions rated in a four-step scale. The questions were grouped into four blocks: diagnosis, risk stratification, goals of therapy, and treatment strategy. After the first round consisting of 80 questions, a second round including 14 additional questions focused on the recommendations advocated by experts of the European LeukemiaNet in 2011 was analyzed. The median and mean values for the first and second rounds were calculated. A summary of the conclusions considered as the most representative of each block of questions is presented. The Delphi method is a powerful instrument to address the current approaches and controversies surrounding ET.
authors.affiliation: Hematology Department, Hospital del Mar, Passeig Marítim 25-29, 08003, Barcelona, Spain. cbesses@parcdesalutmar.cat.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Besses
authors.affiliation: Hematology Department, Hospital Clínico, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hernández-Boluda
authors.affiliation: Hematology Department, Hospital Clínico, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérez Encinas
authors.affiliation: Hematology Department, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Tenerife, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Raya
authors.affiliation: Hematology Department, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hernández-Rivas
authors.affiliation: Hematology Department, Hospital Regional Universitario, Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jiménez Velasco
authors.affiliation: Hematology Department, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martínez Lopez
authors.affiliation: Hematology Department, Hospital Morales Messeguer, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vicente
authors.affiliation: Hematology Department, Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burgaleta
mesh_terms: D001856:Bone Marrow Examination / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003697:Delphi Technique; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019468:Disease Management; D006801:Humans; D006918:Hydroxyurea / Q000627:therapeutic use; D053614:Janus Kinase 2 / Q000235:genetics; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D010976:Platelet Count; D011087:Polycythemia Vera / Q000175:diagnosis; D011379:Prognosis; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D053628:Receptors, Thrombopoietin / Q000235:genetics; D018570:Risk Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013920:Thrombocythemia, Essential / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D011799:Quinazolines; D053628:Receptors, Thrombopoietin; C082218:MPL protein, human; C507924:JAK2 protein, human; D053614:Janus Kinase 2; C021139:anagrelide; D006918:Hydroxyurea
keywords: Consensus statement; Delphi; Essential thrombocythemia; Survey questionnaire