Dr. Saint Fleur-Lominy on Impact of Ruxolitinib on Symptom Burden in MPNs

Shella Saint Fleur-Lominy, MD, PhD, an assistant professor at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, discusses the effects ruxolitinib (Jakafi) has on symptom burden in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).

Ruxolitinib is used in patients with high- or intermediate-risk myelofibrosis who are not candidates for transplant, explains Saint Fleur-Lominy. Patients with any type of MPN have high symptom burden, with associated symptoms being splenomegaly, which causes discomfort, or abnormal signaling of cytokine that includes night sweats, fever, and low appetite, says Saint Fleur-Lominy.

Ruxlotinib helps reduce the spleen size and other symptom burden, leading to patients feeling more comfortable. Similarly, in polycythemia vera, ruxolitinib also causes a reduction in spleen size, a lower need for phlebotomy, and improvement in symptom burden, concludes Saint Fleur-Lominy.