Combination therapy with ruxolitinib plus low-dose cytarabine or mercaptopurine in patients with blast-phase myelofibrosis

Patients with myelofibrosis in blast-phase commonly have a median overall survival of only 3–6 months. Given the older median age of onset and heavy pretreatment, intensive chemotherapy often is not appropriate and has low efficacy with high toxicity. Ruxolitinib (a JAK1/2 inhibitor) has provided significant clinical benefits in patients with chronic phase myelofibrosis. We report our experience of treating blastphase myelofibrosis patients with the combination therapy of ruxolitinib plus low dose mercaptopurine or low-dose cytarabine. The cases presented here demonstrated the feasibility and tolerability of combination continuous ruxolitinib treatment with mercaptopurine or low-dose cytarabine for patients with blast-phase myelofibrosis. The efficacy of these combination regimens is encouraging

THROMBOTIC AND BLEEDING RISK FACTORS IN ESSENTIAL THROMBOCYTHEMIA

Background. Thrombosis and hemorrhage are the main category of complications, that affects the overall survival (OS), quality of life and therapy option choice in essential thrombocythemia (ET). Molecular marker presence (JAK2V617F (JAK2+), MPL (MPL+), CALR (CALR1+-type 1, CALR2+-type 2) or its absence (triple-negative status (TN)) in ET supposed to impact on the clinical course, thrombosis rate and ET prognosis.The aim of this study was to investigate interactions between the presence of molecular marker, thrombosis/bleeding rates and the OS in ET.Methods. Outpatient’s charts of 240 ET patients, who had been diagnosed with ET at our institution according to WHO 2008 criteria. The following data were assessed: complete blood count, bone marrow biopsy results, bone marrow cytogenetic, the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) results used for JAK2V617F detection, in case of JAK2V617F-negative status the PCR-RFLP results (MPL detection) and the direct sequencing results (CALR detection). Different thrombotic/bleeding complications rates were analyzed. The OS in ET patients was compared according to complications and IPSET-thrombosis groups. Results. Among 240 pts 183 (76.3 %) hadn’t any thrombotic complication or bleeding event (no complications/NC), 57/240 (23.7 %) had complications: 49/57 (85.9 %) reported arterial or/and venous thrombosis, stroke or heart failure (thrombosis+) and 11/57 (19.3 %) had bleeding events (hemorrhage+). Thrombotic complications in JAK2+ had 27.4 % (50/182) pts, in TN – 30.7 % (8/26) pts, in CALR1+ – 18.2 % (2/11) pts and no cases of thrombosis were detected in CALR2+ and MPL+ subgroups (p < 0,001). There were significant statistical differences in median platelet count as follows: 742 . 10 9/L (thrombosis+) and 937 . 10 9/L (hemorrhage+) (p = 0.003). No significant statistical differences in median hemoglobin and leukocyte count (р = 0.75 and р = 0.47) were detected. There were more than a half pts older than 60 years in groups NC (51 %) and thrombosis+ (59 %) and in group hemorrhage+ only 36 % (p < 0,001). Cardiovascular risk factors were reported in 24 % pts (NC), 69 % pts (thrombosis+) and 36 % pts (hemorrhage+) (p < 0,001). There were no significant statistical differences in follows risk factors as platelets count > 1000 . 10 9/L and leukocytosis > 11 . 10 9/L (р = 0.85 and р = 0.72). No significant differences in OS among groups NC, thrombosis+ and hemorrhage+ (р = 0.21) and IPSET-thrombosis groups (р = 0,068) were found. Conclusion. Along with common thrombotic risk factors (age > 60 and cardiovascular risk factors) mutational status may help to identify ET course. Leukocytosis > 10 . 10 9/L and thrombocytosis > 1000 . 10 9/L cannot be assessed as independent thrombosis risk factors in ET. The JAK2V617F mutation was associated with increased risk of thrombotic complications in ET. CALR mutations were associated with lower thrombosis risk, comparing to JAK2+ status despite the fact of CALR+ patients had higher platelets level