Is Essential Thrombocythemia Cancer?
Experts differ in what they call ET. There are no cancerous cells in the sense of cells that can spread and invade other organs. But it is considered a chronic hematological malignancy because of the wild, disordered growth of bone cells in our marrows. And blood producing cells that were active in the fetus but inactive in healthy adults can reactivate when the bone marrow isn’t functioning properly. So various organs can be affected. And some experts consider it a cancer. This can be confusing, and insurance companies take varying views. It really doesn’t matter what you call it. The issues are the same. The treatments are the same. The life expectancy is the same. Its just more soothing on the nervous system to think of it as not cancer.
