To further characterize JAK2 exon 12 mutations, we performed molecular screening in 409 patients with polycythemia vera or unclear erythrocytosis with unmutated JAK2V617. The frequency of JAK2exon12 mutations was 10/63 (15.9%) in PV but only 5/346 (1.4%) in the erythrocytosis cases. Nine different mutations including four new types (D544-L545del, H538DK539LI540S, H538-K539del, V536-F547dup) were detected. In 2 cases we found evidence for the presence of cells homozygous for mutated JAK2exon12. As this was the case in only 2/15 cases with JAK2exon12 mutations (13%) homozygosity seemed to be less frequent than in V617F-mutated polycythemia vera (69%) (p