Systemic mastocytosis.

Systemic mastocytosis is a clonal disorder of the mast cell and its progenitor. The symptoms of systemic mastocytosis are due to the pathologic accumulation and activation of mast cells in various tissues such as bone marrow, skin, gastrointestinal tract, liver, and spleen. Recent studies revealed striking differences between the molecular and cellular biology of mast cells in patients with mastocytosis and those of healthy individuals. These findings are being used in formulating diagnostic criteria as well as designing novel treatment approaches to the disease.