A study about disease progression and modification in polycythemia vera (PV) has just been published in Annals of Hematology.
The abstract explains that ‘A better understanding of what defines disease progression in PV is essential when evaluating treatment options that enable disease modification and improved patient outcomes’.
The Steering Group of US based physicians ‘agreed on a set of recommendations for defining disease progression and disease modification in PV. These recommendations aim to improve understanding of the disease course to support the development of more effective therapeutic strategies.’
The article concludes that:
‘Key treatment goals in PV include preventing thrombosis, controlling blood counts, improving symptoms, and avoiding progression to post-PV MF or AML.
Disease modification focuses on reducing driver mutation clone size, particularly the JAK2 VAF, which serves as a strong marker of treatment response.
Disease progression is assessed through symptoms and markers like increased JAK2 VAF, clonal evolution, splenomegaly, circulating blasts, cytopenias, reduced response to therapy, or higher phlebotomy needs.
There is a need for clinical trials, including head-to-head treatment comparisons and greater representation of diverse populations, to establish standardized treatment targets.’
The article, titled ‘Results from a US modified Delphi consensus to define disease progression and disease modification in Polycythemia Vera’ is freely available to read in full HERE.
