Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation leads to extensive skeletal homeostasis reconstruction and subsequent resolution of osteosclerosis in patients with myelofibrosis (MF), according to a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications.
For the study, a team of German researchers outlined the skeletal characteristics of patients with MF before and after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation using clinical high-resolution imaging, laboratory analyses, and bone marrow biopsy studies.
The team reported that even though the bone microarchitecture was not impaired at peripheral skeletal sites, there was a marked increase in bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and proximal femur.
This, the researchers said, is histologically related to severe bone marrow fibrosis and osteosclerosis.
Following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the bone marrow fibrosis was fully normalized.
The team also reported that the regression of fibrosis was accompanied by vanishing osteosclerosis together with restored osteoclastic resorption activity and whole-body calcium homeostasis.