Transfusion Burden Revealed in Patients With Myelofibrosis, Anemia on Ruxolitinib

By Andrew Moreno - Last Updated: September 30, 2024

Findings from a recent study evaluating the degree of anemia burden among patients with myelofibrosis receiving ruxolitinib were presented at the Society of Hematologic Oncology 2024 Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas.

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“This retrospective real-world analysis demonstrated significant [red blood cell transfusion (RBCT)] burden in patients with myelofibrosis and anemia treated with ruxolitinib,” wrote lead study author John Mascarenhas, MD, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

The study gathered data from the Veterans Affairs Corporate Data Warehouse on 630 adults with myelofibrosis and anemia who had received ruxolitinib with at least six months of follow-up. The cohort had a median follow-up of 24.6 months, had a mean age of 71.8 years, was 96.3% male, and was 78.4% White. In addition, 68.1% of the cohort had been diagnosed with anemia at or before ruxolitinib initiation.

At the time of ruxolitinib initiation, 19.4% of the total cohort was transfusion dependent (TD) and 80.6% was nonTD (NTD). A Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score of 3 or higher was documented in 50.9% of the TD patients and 38.2% of the NTD patients. Median duration of ruxolitinib treatment was 8.9 months for TD patients and 17.2 months for NTD patients.

Among TD patients, 92.6% ultimately received anemia supportive care after initiating ruxolitinib compared with 43.7% of NTD patients. Of the TD patients who received such care, 91% received RBCT, and the median time from ruxolitinib initiation to first RBCT was one month. Of the NTD patients who received anemia supportive care after initiating ruxolitinib, 36.6% received RBCT, and the median time from ruxolitinib initiation to first RBCT was eight months.

From these data, Dr. Mascarenhas concluded, “patients TD at ruxolitinib initiation appeared to discontinue ruxolitinib earlier than NTD patients.”

Reference

Mascarenhas J, Perkins AR, Shih YH, et al. Anemia burden in patients with myelofibrosis (MF) treated with ruxolitinib (RUX): data from the Veterans Affairs Corporate Data Warehouse (VACDW). Abstract #MPN-203. Presented at the Society of Hematologic Oncology 2024 Annual Meeting; September 4-7, 2024; Houston, Texas.

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