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Medical Definition of Idiopathic myelofibrosis
1. A progressive disease of the bone marrow where neoplastic bone marrow stem cells lodge and grow in multiple sites outside the bone marrow. Typically, there is enlargement of the spleen and a gradual replacement of the bone marrow elements by fibrosis (scarring), progressive anaemia and variable changes in the number of white blood cells and platelets. Diagnosis is by bone marrow biopsy. There is no definitive treatment for this disorder that has been shown to affect life span favorably. (27 Sep 1997)