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Von Willebrand factor (VWF) is an adhesive glycoprotein derived from endothelial cells that is decreased in patients with congenital von Willebrand disease. Decreased VWF is also found in some patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM), a malignant lymphoproliferative disorder. Do most WM patients have decreased VWF levels (i.e., acquired von Willebrand disease), or do most have increased levels, as observed in most cancer patients? And does VWF level influence survival in WM patients?
To answer these questions, investigators in France assessed VWF in 72 consecutive WM patients (median age, 70; range 39–91), measuring VWF antigen, VWF activity, the VWF propeptide, serum viscosity, and monoclonal immunoglobulin M (mIgM). Overall surviva…