Treatment information on these pages was kindly provided for our use by Prof Claire Harrison of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London and MPNVoice for which MPN AA is extremely grateful.
The information which appears under FAQ and Treatments has been adapted for Australian patients by Australian haematologists – Dr Cecily Forsyth, Prof Andrew Grigg and Dr David Ross. We would like to acknowledge them for their assistance.
Information on stem cell transplants is provided via a link to the Leukaemia Foundation’s website.
Translated treatment information is available in Arabic, Chinese and Vietnamese.
The MPN AA would like to acknowledge the generosity of the accredited translators who made these translations possible.
Treatments (listed in alphabetical order)
- Anagrelide (Agrylin)
- Aspirin
- Busulfan
- Hydroxycarbamide (hydroxyurea)
- Interferon Alpha
- Ruxolitinib
- Venesection (phlebotomy)
Journal articles about MPN treatments
Stem cell transplant
For information about stem cell (bone marrow) transplants, please refer to the Leukaemia Foundation website HERE.
Support for Transplant patients
If your haematologist has referred you for a stem cell transplant and you live in a regional or rural area, or a city that doesn’t have a transplant unit, you will most likely need to travel to a major city hospital to receive this treatment. It is usual for patients to remain in hospital for some time, followed by a further period of time where you are required to remain very close to the hospital.
There are a number of possible sources of assistance for patients and their support person in these circumstances. The Leukaemia Foundation may be able to provide accommodation or to assist with the costs of accommodation for you close to the hospital. Some private health funds have provisions for some assistance for this purpose, and State or territory governments may also be able to assist with some costs.
The Leukaemia Foundation has support officers in each state and territory who can provide you with more specific information about these arrangements. https://www.leukaemia.org.au/how-we-can-help/accommodation-services/about-accommodation-services/
Clinical trials
Thanks to the remarkable increase in research interest in MPNs world wide, there are an increasing number of clinical trials available to Australian MPN patients. For information about your eligibility for a clinical trial, please ask your haematologist.
Our information page about clinical trials is HERE.
