Does anything work for anaemia in myelofibrosis?

Abstract

Anaemia is a common finding at diagnosis in myelofibrosis, and becomes a symptomatic problem in most patients with time. There are several treatment options for specific anaemia treatment, none of which has been tested in large, randomized, controlled trials. However, as myelofibrosis is not a disease with spontaneous remissions, even non-randomized trials carry weight. In this survey, the existing evidence will be analysed, both for the commonly used treatments like erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, androgens and thalidomide and for the new drugs in the area, and conclusions will be drawn concerning standard clinical anaemia treatment in myelofibrosis, which according to evidence from studies has a 40-50% chance of response in patients with not too advanced disease.

Keywords: anaemia; anaemia treatment; myelofibrosis; myeloproliferative neoplasm.