During the MPN Hub Steering Committee meeting, Ruben Mesa discussed anemia as an unmet need and the impact on quality of life and survival outcomes in patients with myelofibrosis (MF).

1. Anemia in patients with MF is a complex, multifactorial process, and can be exacerbated by treatment with some Janus kinase inhibitors, including ruxolitinib and fedratinib.1,2
2. Anemia is common in patients with primary MF, with one study reporting hemoglobin levels <10 g/dL in 38% of patients at the time of diagnosis, increasing to 58 % in patients seen within 1 year since diagnosis.3
3. Anemia can negatively impact overall survival; in a study of 1,109 consecutive patients with primary MF, the median overall survival among patients with no, mild, moderate, and severe anemia was 7.9 years, 4.9 years, 3.4 years, and 2.1 years, respectively.4
4. Anemia also negatively impacts patients' quality of life; a study of 85 patients with MF showed that anemia responders had greater improvements in quality of life vs nonresponders.5
5. There is a need for effective treatments to address MF-related anemia.

This educational resource is independently supported by GSK and Bristol Myers Squibb. All content was developed by SES in collaboration with an expert steering committee. Funders were allowed no influence on the content of this resource.

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The MPN Hub was pleased to speak to Aaron Gerds, Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, US. Gerds discussed treating anemia in patients with myelofibrosis (MF).

Gerds highlights the impact of anemia on survival outcomes in patients with MF, and reviews key data from the phase II ACE-536-MF-001 trial (NCT03194542) evaluating the safety and efficacy of luspatercept in patients with MF and anemia, including patients with and without transfusion dependence and concurrent Janus kinase (JAK) inhibition. He then highlights the ongoing randomized, phase III INDEPENDENCE trial (NCT04717414) assessing the safety and efficacy of luspatercept in combination with ruxolitinib in transfusion-dependent patients with MF. Finally, Gerds discusses potential future combinations of luspatercept with ACVR1 inhibitors.

This educational resource is independently supported by Bristol Myers Squibb. All content was developed by SES in collaboration with an expert steering committee. Funders were allowed no influence on the content of this resource.

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The MPN Hub was pleased to speak to Aaron Gerds, Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, US. We asked, How might luspatercept benefit patients with myelofibrosis (MF)?

Aaron Gerds opens by discussing the prevalence and issue of anemia in patients with MF, noting that almost all patients will become anemic at some point in the course of their disease. Gerds discusses luspatercept as a treatment option in this indication, sharing the latest clinical trial data and emphasizing the benefit of a reduction in transfusion dependency for patients treated with luspatercept. The interview closes with a look to ongoing clinical trials, including the INDEPENDENCE study and the implications of these data on future management strategies for anemic myelofibrosis.

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During the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2024 Hybrid Congress, the MPN Hub was pleased to speak with Haifa Kathrin Al-Ali, University Hospital Halle, Halle, DE. We asked, What more can be done to improve treatment for patients with polycythemia vera?

Al-Ali provides an overview of how to improve treatment and outcomes for patients with polycythemia vera, opening with a discussion of the latest advancements in the field and key areas for improvement. Al-Ali shares insights on symptoms management, risk stratification, and the potential applications for machine learning and artificial intelligence in MPN. This interview concludes with a discussion of the goals for treatment and how these may vary between patients and physicians, highlighting the importance of the patient voice in the treatment of MPN.

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The MPN Hub was pleased to speak to Laura Michaelis, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, US and Anand Patel, University of Chicago, Chicago, US. We asked, When to refer patients with MPN to clinical trials: Part II - Patients with myelofibrosis (MF).

Patel opens by highlighting the need for more long-term effective MF treatments and presents long-term data on the cessation of existing therapies such as ruxolitinib. Michaelis and Patel then discuss factors that influence the decision to refer to a clinical trial in patients with newly diagnosed MF; outlining anemia and other symptoms as indicators for referral. They also discuss add-on clinical trials as options for patients who do not achieving optimal response with their current standard of care treatment.

The podcast concludes with a discussion on clinical trial referral versus transplantation in patients not achieving an optimal treatment response with standard of care. Finally, the importance of communicating effectively with the patient and considering their comorbidities is highlighted.

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The MPN Hub was pleased to speak to Laura Michaelis, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, US and Anand Patel, University of Chicago, Chicago, US. We asked, When to refer patients with MPN to clinical trials: Part I — Patients with essential thrombocytopenia/polycythemia vera.

In this podcast, Michaelis and Patel discuss the factors which determine whether standard of care treatment or referral to a clinical trial is the most appropriate course of action. Patel begins by outlining drugs currently under clinical trial for essential thrombocytopenia and polycythemia vera. Michaelis and Patel then consider the importance of aligning trial endpoints with the individualized treatment goals of patients. They conclude by discussing how the progression of a patient to second-line therapy, as well as cytogenetic abnormalities that indicate more aggressive disease progression, may underly the decision to consider clinical trials that align with a patient’s goals.

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During the 63rd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition, the MPN Hub was pleased to speak to Laura Michaelis (Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, US) and Claire Harrison (Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK). We asked, Patient follow-up in myeloproliferative neoplasms: Best practices and myths.

In this podcast, Michaelis and Harrison discuss the best practices in MPN, in particular in regards to diagnosis. They also discuss the new data that was presented at ASH 2021, such as the MOMENTUM (NCT04173494) study and momelotinib.

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During the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, the MPN Hub spoke to Marina Kremyanskaya, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, US. We asked, Is the hepcidin-mimetic PTG‑300 a promising treatment for therapeutic phlebotomy-dependent polycythemia vera (PV)?

Currently, patients with PV require frequent phlebotomy. Kremyanskaya discusses promising results from a phase II clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of PTG-300, a novel hepcidin-mimetic, in patients with PV who received three or more phlebotomies up to 6 months before treatment. Kremyanskaya highlights that the need for phlebotomy was eliminated in patients treated with PTG-300. In addition, PTG-300 was well tolerated.

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