Marc-Tudor DAMIAN, Laura URIAN, Anca BOJAN
Abstract
Introduction: polycythemia vera is a Ph negative relatively indolent chronic myeloproliferative disease, with a high risk of arterial and venous thrombosis, affecting patient survival. Current treatment options decrease the risk of thrombembolic event occurence, aid with the symptomatology and improve patients’ quality of life.
Aims: Our study aims to assess the impact of current therapies on the symptoms, phlebotomy requirements, and complications of a group of patients with polycythemia vera which were diagnosed and treated in the Hematology department of the Institute of Oncology „Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță” Cluj-Napoca.
Material and methods: 41 patients diagnosed with polycythemia vera were included in the study. The patients responded to a modified MPN-SAF TSS questionnaire evaluating common symptoms (fatigue, abdominal disconfort, early satiety pruritus, night sweats, fever, and weight loss). Moreover, the need for phlebotomies in order to maintain a hematocrit of less or equal to 45% and to control symptoms, as well as the incidence of pre- and posttherapeutic thromboembolic events were assessed.
Results: symptoms of highest severity reported by patients were night sweats, fatigue and abdominal disconfort, whereas weight loss, pruritus, early satiety, and fever were considered less intense. Of the 35 patients treated with hydroxycarbamide, 21 had a low requirement of phlebotomies and 6 patients had a high need for venesections. Phlebotomy need was low in 90% of patients taking ruxolitinib. 11 and 5 patients suffered a thromboembolic event before and after diagnosis of polycythemia vera respectively.
Conclusion: patient education in polycythemia vera is key, as symptom recognition and reporting allows for a better care and followingly an improvement in patient’s quality of life.
Keywords: polycythemia vera, quality of life, MPN-SAF TSS, phlebotomy, thromboembolic events
https://doi.org/10.59854/dhrrh.2024.2.4.177
