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PV
  1. About PV
  2. Burdensome Symptoms

The majority of PV patients experience symptoms

Patients with PV experience a broad range of burdensome symptoms1

Prevalence of symptoms in PV1

Prevalence of symptoms in Polycythemia Vera including fatigue, itching, early satiety, concentration problems, inactivity, night sweats, abdominal discomfort, bone pain, weight loss & fever – JAKAVI
  • PV symptoms can significantly impair quality of life (QoL), resulting in clinically deficient QoL nearly as frequently as in myelofibrosis (38% vs 42%)2

Pruritus and fatigue are among the most common symptoms of PV1

  • Among patients with PV who experience pruritus:
    • 15% characterise the symptom as “unbearable” (rating of 6 on a scale of 6)3
    • 51% report that pruritus is the same or worse after conventional PV therapy3
  • Patients with pruritus experience significantly worse QoL (P=0.0007) than patients with no pruritus3
  • Fatigue was reported regardless of disease severity, occurring in patients who lacked complications of PV, such as thrombosis or splenomegaly4

Symptoms can occur independently of blood values, disease duration, and myelosuppressive treatment5

Learn about symptom improvement with JAKAVI

Next: Hydroxyurea resistance and intolerance

References:

  1. Scherber R, Dueck AC, Johansson P, et al. The Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form (MPN-SAF): international prospective validation and reliability trial in 402 patients. Blood. 2011;118(2):401-408.
  2. Emanuel RM, Dueck AC, Geyer HL, et al. Myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) symptom assessment form total symptom score: prospective international assessment of an abbreviated symptom burden scoring system among patients with MPNs. J Clin Oncol. 2012;30(33):4098-4103.
  3. Siegel FP, Tauscher J, Petrides PE. Aquagenic pruritus in polycythemia vera: characteristics and influence on quality of life in 441 patients. Am J Hematol. 2013;88(8):665-669.
  4. Mesa RA, Niblack J, Wadleigh M, et al. The burden of fatigue and quality of life in myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs): an international Internet-based survey of 1179 MPD patients. Cancer. 2007;109(1):68-76.
  5. Johansson P, Mesa R, Scherber R, et al. Association between quality of life and clinical parameters in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms. Leuk Lymphoma. 2012;53(3):441-444.