Sequencing revealed no mutations of INK4a or ARF in 10 patients with PV. p16(INK4a) is an important negative cell-cycle regulator, but in contrast with a wide range of malignancies where inactivation of the INK4a gene is one of the most common carcinogenetic events, in PV p16( INK4a) expression was dramatically increased without a significant change in ECFC cell cycle compared with normal ECFCs.