Evolving management of essential thrombocythaemia.

Abstract

The unified definition of clinical resistance and intolerance to hydroxyurea (HU) (1) is an important development in the management of essential thrombocythaemia (ET). In this article, the evolution of ET treatment will be reviewed in order to demonstrate why the consensus definition is necessary. More detailed discussions of the consensus process used to develop the definition and its implications for clinical practice are provided in the articles that follow.