Management of essential thrombocythemia: implications of the medical research council primary thrombocythemia 1 trial.

There has been a dearth of prospective randomized studies in essential (or primary) thrombocythemia (ET). To date, only two reports have been published. Cortelazzo et al reported the first study in 1995. The second is the Medical Research Council Primary Thrombocythemia 1 trial (MRC PT-1), the results and implications of which are the subject of this article.