Prithviraj Bose, MD, on the Importance of Rare Disease Day

By Prithviraj Bose, MD - Last Updated: February 29, 2024

Dr. Bose, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, stops by Blood Cancers Today to discuss the importance of Rare Disease Day.

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Dr. Bose also highlighted the incidence and prevalence of certain rare blood disorders. He noted that myelofibrosis affects four to six per 100,000 individuals in the United States, with an incidence of one or less per 100,000 individuals. Polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia affect 50 per 100,000 individuals, and systemic mastocytosis has an incidence of less than one per 100,000 individuals.

“To raise awareness of these types of entities, commemorating something like Rare Disease Day is extremely important,” Dr. Bose said. “Patients often reach out to others afflicted with the same condition through social media and through advocacy groups. That really helps, because these are not common diseases where you might have a friend or an acquaintance with it.”

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