Hemoglobin improvement at week 24 after transfusion is associated with improved health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with myelofibrosis and anemia, according to a study presented at the Society of Hematologic Oncology 2024 Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas.
“Patients with myelofibrosis experience debilitating symptoms that negatively impact HRQOL, a burden compounded in those with anemia. Prior analysis of the phase III SIMPLIFY-1 and SIMPLIFY-2 trials found that achieving transfusion independence at week 24 was associated with improved patient-reported outcomes (PROs), but the association of anemia severity by hemoglobin level with PROs was inconclusive,” the researchers noted.
In this pooled treatment agnostic analysis, researchers analyzed 480 patients (mean age, 68.8 years; 62% men; 81% White; baseline hemoglobin <10 g/dL) from SIMPLIFY-1 (JAK inhibitor naïve), SIMPLIFY-2 (JAK inhibitor experienced), and MOMENTUM (JAK inhibitor experienced). They analyzed HRQOL using the EQ-5D-5L and visual analog scale [VAS] scores, and they assessed symptoms via the Patient Global Impression of Change. Hemoglobin improvement in this analysis was defined as an increase of ≥1, ≥1.5, or ≥2 g/dL from baseline at week 24.
According to the results, at week 24, the average HRQOL improvements from baseline were greater in patients who achieved hemoglobin improvement at any threshold than in those who did not (e.g., mean changes of 0.06±0.2 vs 0.02±0.2 in index and 9.9±18.9 vs 4.2±21.2 in VAS scores in patients who did vs did not achieve ≥1 g/dL improvement). The results showed that hemoglobin improvement was linked with a higher percentage of patients with symptom improvement and lower percentage with symptom worsening.
“In these trial populations, hemoglobin improvement at week 24 was associated with improved HRQOL and symptoms in patients with myelofibrosis and anemia, highlighting the value of treatments with anemia-related benefits in improving the patient experience in myelofibrosis,” the researchers concluded.
Reference
Palmer J, Mazerolle F, Liu T, et al. Associated between hemoglobin improvement and patient-reported outcomes in patients with myelofibrosis and anemia: post-hoc pooled analysis of momelotinib phase III trials. Abstract #MPN-085. Presented at the Society of Hematologic Oncology 2024 Annual Meeting; September 4-7, 2024; Houston, Texas.