该疾病的确切病因尚不清楚,但非常清楚的一点是,受影响的造血干细胞 (HSC) 会获得可导致克隆造血的基因突变。
大约 95% 的 PV 病例中会有 JAK2 V617F 突变,另外 4% 在外显子 12 处有突变,剩下的 1% 还尚未完全明确(包括 LNK 突变)。[3]James C, Ugo V, Le Couedic JP, et al. A unique clonal JAK2 mutation leading to constitutive signalling causes polycythaemia vera. Nature. 2005;434:1144-1148.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15793561?tool=bestpractice.com[4]Kralovics R, Passamonti F, Buser AS, et al. A gain-of-function mutation of JAK2 in myeloproliferative disorders. N Engl J Med. 2005;352:1779-1790.http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa051113#t=articlehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15858187?tool=bestpractice.com[5]Baxter EJ, Scott LM, Campbell PJ, et al. Acquired mutation of the tyrosine kinase JAK2 in human myeloproliferative disorders. Lancet. 2005;365:1054-1061.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15781101?tool=bestpractice.com[6]Levine RL, Wadleigh M, Cools J, et al. Activating mutation in the tyrosine kinase JAK2 in polycythaemia vera, essential thrombocythemia and myeloid metaplasia with myelofibrosis. Cancer Cell. 2005;7:387-397.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15837627?tool=bestpractice.com[20]Pardanani A, Lasho TL, Finke C, et al. Prevalence and clinicopathologic correlates of JAK2 exon 12 mutations in JAK2V617F-negative polycythemia vera. Leukemia. 2007;21:1960-1963.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17597810?tool=bestpractice.com[21]Lasho TL, Pardanani A, Tefferi A. LNK mutations in JAK2 mutation-negative erythrocytosis. N Engl J Med. 2010;363:1189-1190.http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMc1006966http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20843259?tool=bestpractice.com然而,JAK2 V617F 在多种其他骨髓疾病中也存在,而且似乎不是诱发疾病的突变。[22]Levine RL, Loriaux M, Huntly BJ, et al. The JAK2V617F activating mutation occurs in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia, but not in acute lymphoblastic leukemia or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Blood. 2005;106:3377-3379.http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/cgi/content/full/106/10/3377http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16081687?tool=bestpractice.com[23]Nussenzveig RH, Swierczek SI, Jelinek J, et al. Polycythemia vera is not initiated by JAK2V617F mutation. Exp Hematol. 2007;35:32-38.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17198871?tool=bestpractice.com据推测,JAK2 V617F 突变是继发于未知分子缺陷的基因事件,这种缺陷很可能是表观遗传调节子突变,最终引起 PV 的克隆造血。[24]Vainchenker W, Delhommeau F, Constantinescu SN, et al. New mutations and pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Blood. 2011;118:1723-1725.http://www.bloodjournal.org/content/118/7/1723.longhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21653328?tool=bestpractice.com当 JAK2 46/1 的单体型存在时,会大幅增加 V617F 的获得性突变风险,并且还可能增加其他与 PV 有关的突变风险。[25]Olcaydu D, Harutyunyan A, Jäger R, et al. A common JAK2 haplotype confers susceptibility to myeloproliferative neoplasms. Nat Genet. 2009;41:450-454.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19287385?tool=bestpractice.com[26]Kilpivaara O, Mukherjee S, Schram AM, et al. A germline JAK2 SNP is associated with predisposition to the development of JAK2(V617F)-positive myeloproliferative neoplasms. Nat Genet. 2009;41:455-459.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19287384?tool=bestpractice.com[27]Jones AV, Chase A, Silver RT, et al. JAK2 haplotype is a major risk factor for the development of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Nat Genet. 2009;41:446-449.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19287382?tool=bestpractice.com在骨髓增殖性肿瘤 (MPN) 中,JAK2 V617F 的纯合突变最常见于 PV。[24]Vainchenker W, Delhommeau F, Constantinescu SN, et al. New mutations and pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Blood. 2011;118:1723-1725.http://www.bloodjournal.org/content/118/7/1723.longhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21653328?tool=bestpractice.comPV 的中位突变等位基因负荷约为 50%,高于大多数原发性血小板增多症 (essential thrombocythaemia, ET) 患者(约 20%),且与原发性骨髓纤维化 (PMF) 相当,但个体值范围为 1%-100%。[8]Vannucchi AM. How I treat polycythemia vera. Blood. 2014;124:3212-3220.http://www.bloodjournal.org/content/124/22/3212.longhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25278584?tool=bestpractice.com不过,在大多数 PV 和 ET 患者中,诊断时突变 JAK2 等位基因负荷在 HSC 中极低,且克隆扩增仅见于造血后期。相比之下,JAK2 V617F HSC 在晚期 MPN(例如,PMF 或 PV/ET 后骨髓纤维化)中占主导,表明 JAK2 V617F 这一单一因素不会显著推进 HSC 的发展。数学模型表明,单独的 JAK2 V617F 可引起潜伏期极长的 MPN;因此,JAK2 V617F 与其他改变 HSC 生物学的基因事件结合可大大促进临床表型的发展。[24]Vainchenker W, Delhommeau F, Constantinescu SN, et al. New mutations and pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Blood. 2011;118:1723-1725.http://www.bloodjournal.org/content/118/7/1723.longhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21653328?tool=bestpractice.com
鉴于许多表观遗传调节子(例如,TET2、ASXL1、EZH2、DNMT3A)突变的发生可先于或晚于 JAK2 V617F 的获得,[24]Vainchenker W, Delhommeau F, Constantinescu SN, et al. New mutations and pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Blood. 2011;118:1723-1725.http://www.bloodjournal.org/content/118/7/1723.longhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21653328?tool=bestpractice.com人们对研究 MPN 中突变顺序的影响产生了兴趣。其实,研究已表明,先于 TET2 或 DNMT3A 突变发生的 JAK2 V617F 获得更支持 PV 而非 ET 表型。[28]Ortmann CA, Kent DG, Nangalia J, et al. Effect of mutation order on myeloproliferative neoplasms. N Engl J Med. 2015;372:601-612.http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1412098#t=articlehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25671252?tool=bestpractice.com[29]Nangalia J, Nice FL, Wedge DC, et al. DNMT3A mutations occur early or late in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms and mutation order influences phenotype. Haematologica. 2015;100:e438-e442.http://www.haematologica.org/content/100/11/e438.longhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26250577?tool=bestpractice.com
尽管确实存在家族性的 PV,但是大多数病例都是散发性的。即使在家族性的病例中,PV 通常不是先天性的,而是后天获得的(即出生时血细胞数目正常)。新生儿红细胞增多几乎都不是由 PV 导致的。然而,流行病学数据表明,PV 的家族影响较强,提示存在获得 PV 的遗传基因倾向。[30]Landgren O, Goldin LR, Kristinsson SY, et al. Increased risks of polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, and myelofibrosis among 24,577 first-degree relatives of 11,039 patients with
myeloproliferative neoplasms in Sweden. Blood. 2008;112:2199-2204.http://www.bloodjournal.org/content/112/6/2199.longhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18451307?tool=bestpractice.com
像多种血液恶性肿瘤一样,许多未知的环境因素可能是致病因素。然而目前尚未明确发现任何致病药物或者环境。