Dr. Mascarenhas on Limitations With JAK Inhibitors in Myelofibrosis

John O. Mascarenhas, MD, associate professor of medicine, hematology, and medical oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; director of the Adult Leukemia Program; and leader of Clinical Investigation within the Myeloproliferative Disorders Program at Mount Sinai, and a member of the Tisch Cancer Institute, discusses limitations with JAK inhibitors in myelofibrosis.

Myelofibrosis is a ​complex hematopoietic malignancy that often results in multiple hematologic events, including anemia, thrombocytopenia, increased blasts, transformation to acute leukemia, and spleen​/symptom burden, says Mascarenhas.

Notably, ​the JAK inhibitors ruxolitinib (Jakafi) and fedratinib (Inrebic) have been fundamental in treating certain aspects of the disease, such as spleen ailments​, Mascarenhas says. However, JAK inhibitors cannot treat anemia or ​alter the natural history of the disease.

As such, ongoing research efforts ​are evaluating a host of therapies that could potentially be used in the salvage setting for patients who progress on or are refractory to JAK inhibitors, Mascarenhas concludes.