Dr Desai on the Use of JAK Inhibitors in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

“There’s been a lot of work in lymphoid malignancies as well as other myeloid malignancies where targeted agents towards driver mutations, with the addition of other apoptosis-inducing agents or other disease modifying agents, have led to good hematologic responses, as well as pathologic and molecular responses.”

Ruchi J. Desai, MD, an assistant professor in the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Palliative Care at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine as well as a hematologist/oncologist in the Department of Internal Medicine at VCU Health, discussed the use of JAK inhibitors for the treatment of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).

During a recent OncLive State of the Science Summitt on hematologic malignancies, which took place on October 15, 2025, Desai discussed the present standing and potential future of JAK inhibitors in patients with MPNs, specifically myelofibrosis and of polycythemia vera (PV). There has been a lot of research in lymphoid malignancies as well as other myeloid malignancies with agents directed towards driver mutations in combination with other apoptosis-inducing agents or disease modifying agents which have led to notable hematologic, pathologic, and molecular responses, she noted.

Unfortunately, unlike in other disease areas, inhibiting driver mutations in patients with myelofibrosis with JAK inhibitors has not been shown to alter the natural history of the disease, Desai explained. In patients with PV, JAK inhibitor treatment has been linked to molecular responses and improved event-free survival outcomes, but it has not been shown to have an overall survival benefit, she added.

Similarly, in patients with myelofibrosis, JAK inhibitors have been shown to reduce morbidity and potentially mortality, but these agents do not typically produce pathologic or molecular remissions, she added. Although targeted therapies are available for the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis and PV, a cure for these patients using medications alone remains elusive, she concluded.