Table 3.

Epidemiology and molecular characteristics of polycythemia vera in women

Variable	Females (vs males)
Epidemiology
Incidence rate	Lower in: – SEER registry 2001–2011 [43] – CYTO-PV and ECLAP prospective trials [44, 45] – Across any age group [46] – SEER registry 2001–2016 [49] – European registries review [39] Higher in: – previous diagnostic criteria [28, 32, 33] Comparable in: – systematic metanalysis [3]
Genetic background
JAK2-mutated clone	– Less frequently homozygous [45] – Lower VAF at diagnosis and during long follow-up [56] – Selective expression in platelets [58]
Additional myeloid mutations by NGS	No difference in rate in the MIPSS-PV study [53]
Gene expression profile	Fewer genes differentially expressed, but more activated molecular pathways [65]
Cytogenetic abnormalities	No difference [66, 67]
Inflammatory mediators	No difference [68]

SEER, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results; CYTO-PV, Cytoreductive therapy in Polycythemia Vera; ECLAP, European Collaboration on Low-dose Aspirin in Polycythemia Vera; JAK2, Janus Kinase 2; VAF, variant allele frequency; NGS, next-generation sequencing; MIPSS-PV, mutation-enhanced international prognostic scoring system for polycythemia vera