Dr. Pemmaraju on Characteristics of Disease Progression in Myelofibrosis

Naveen Pemmaraju, MD, an associate professor in the Department of Leukemia of the Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the characteristics of disease progression in patients with myelofibrosis.

Defining disease progression and modification is one of the most important unanswered questions for this patient population, according to Pemmaraju. Due to the heterogeneity and complexity of the disease, progression has been difficult to define, Pemmaraju says. Currently, disease progression is thought to have several characteristics, including decreased blood count, going into a transfusion-dependent state, having uncontrollable splenomegaly despite treatment with a JAK inhibitor, an increase in the bone marrow blast to accelerator blast phase, or uncontrollable symptom burden, Pemmaraju explains.

These progression events can happen in isolation, simultaneously, or dynamically over time, Pemmaraju notes. Additionally, some patients may experience progression early on, while others can experience it markedly later on in their treatment journey, Pemmaraju concludes.