Disease and treatment characteristics of polycythemia vera patients in Belgium: Results from a scientific survey

Abstract

Objective The current survey aimed to gather predefined disease parameters and treatment strategies to characterize the polycythemia vera (PV) patient population in Belgium. Methods Cross‐sectional data from PV patients, seen at least once between May 2014 and May 2015 at 10 sites in Belgium, were collected in aggregated form and analyzed descriptively and quantitatively. Results Data from 343 PV patients were collected. Of these, 174 (50.7%) were male and 256 (74.6%) were ≥60 years of age. Ninety‐two (26.8%) had a prior history of thrombotic events. Considerable proportions of patients had increased hematological parameters (hematocrit > 45% [31.2%], leukocytes > 10 × 109/L [33.3%], and platelet > 400 × 109/L [38.2%]). Most patients had non‐palpable spleen (284, 87.7%) and no phlebotomies during the past 6 months (197, 57.4%). Low‐dose aspirin was given as thrombosis prophylaxis in 249 (72.6%) patients, while 232 (67.6%) received hydroxyurea (HU) as cytoreductive treatment. Forty‐one patients (12.0%) were reported as resistant and/or intolerant to HU. Seventeen patients (5.0%) received ruxolitinib in the context of clinical trials. Conclusion This survey provides better insight into the characteristics of Belgian PV patients and currently used treatment strategies. It shows that 232 (67.6%) PV patients continue to receive HU despite being potentially HU‐resistant.

Patterns of Hydroxyurea Prescription and Use in Routine Clinical Management of Polycythaemia Vera: a Multicentre Chart Review Study

“…In a chart review study from Germany, 1476 PV patients were evaluated and 77.1% were found to be over the age of 60 years [ 12 ]. In a cross-sectional survey from Belgium, 343 PV patients were evaluated and 74.6% of them were ≥60 years of age [ 13 ]. Our cohort was relatively younger (median: 58 years), possibly due to the demographic characteristics of Turkey.…”

“…The difference between these two studies was attributed to different follow-up periods of patients or different doses of hydroxyurea used in the centers [ 26 ]. In a cross-sectional study from Belgium, 12% of the patients were reported to have hydroxyurea resistance/intolerance [ 13 ]. This rate was found to be 16% in the present study.…”

Treatment strategies for polycythemia vera: Observations in a Dutch “real‐world” cohort study

“…For PV, various previous real-world studies have been published, [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] but no study from the Netherlands to date. Real-world study populations reflect daily clinical practice better since the patients do not need to meet various inclusion and exclusion criteria.…”

“…As for the physicians, the advantage of real‐world studies is that they reflect the clinical practices of a broader spectrum of physicians as they do not limit the inclusion to academic expert centers. For PV, various previous real‐world studies have been published, but no study from the Netherlands to date. The limitations of real‐world data include the non‐standardized collection of data.…”

The contribution of fish models in understanding of blood disorders

“…PV patients have an increased risk of disease transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or to myelofibrosis (MF). In 2006 WHO (World Health Organization) declared this disease a myeloproliferative neoplasm (Devos et al, 2018). Zebrafish jak2a V581F mutant, an ortholog of human JAK2 V617F , has various common features with polycythemia vera observed in human and can offer essential information about production mechanisms of disease.…”