Contemporary Challenges in Polycythemia Vera Management From the Perspective of Patients and Physicians

Although polycythemia vera (PV) is a chronic and incurable disease, effective management can allow most patients to maintain functional lives with near-normal life expectancy. However, there remain several inter-related factors that contribute to many ongoing challenges associated with the management of PV, which this review aims to explore. First, as a disease hallmarked by constitutive activation of the JAK/STAT pathway, PV is often accompanied by inflammatory symptoms that negatively impact quality of life. Next, patients often require recurrent therapeutic phlebotomies to maintain their hematocrit below the 45% threshold that has been associated with a decreased risk of thrombotic events. The need to closely monitor hematocrit and perform conditional therapeutic phlebotomies ties patients to the healthcare system, thereby limiting their autonomy. Furthermore, many patients describe therapeutic phlebotomies as burdensome and the procedure is often poorly tolerated, further contributing to quality-of-life decline. Phlebotomy needs can be reduced by utilizing cytoreductive therapy; however, standard first-line cytoreductive options (i.e., hydroxyurea and interferon) have not been shown to significantly improve symptom burden. Collectively, current PV management, while reducing thrombotic risk, often has a negative impact on patient quality of life. As researchers continue to advance towards the goal of developing a disease-modifying therapy for patients with PV, pursuit of nearer-term opportunities to shift the current treatment paradigm towards improving symptoms without compromising quality of life is also warranted, for example, by reducing or eliminating the frequent use of phlebotomy.