Description:
This MPN session focuses on issues of clinical relevance while emphasizing disease biology. The clinical care of patients with MPN is evolving, with increasing evidence indicating that molecular genetic data is an important component of care, both at diagnosis and during follow up. Approximately three years after the approval of ropeginterferon by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of Polycythemia Vera (PV), it is timely to review the role of pegylated interferon in the treatment of MPN. Finally, as the obstetric population with MPN increases, understanding how to optimize care for patients with MPN during pregnancy is increasingly relevant. Attendees can expect to learn MPN practice pearls in all three sessions! 

Dr. Mead will discuss current approaches to molecular profiling of MPN patients, using illustrative clinical case histories to demonstrate how genetic analysis is already fully integrated into MPN diagnostic classification and prognostic risk stratification. He will discuss how molecular profiling can also be used in MPN to measure response to therapy both in clinical trials and routine clinical practice. Taking a forward look, he will discuss how molecular profiling in MPN might be used in the future to select specific molecularly targeted therapies and the role of additional genetic methodologies beyond mutation analysis.

Dr. Kiladjian will discuss the use of pegylated interferon for the treatment of MPN and review the different types of pegylated interferon currently available. He will review in which MPN subtypes pegylated interferon has the greatest clinical efficacy and discuss both hematological and molecular response. He will review the mechanism of action of pegylated interferon and link this to potential for disease modification and prevention of MPN progression. Finally, he will review the limitations of clinical studies with respect to their ability to measure MPN progression, as well as the need for more comprehensive assessment of molecular response.

Dr. Chi-Joan How will discuss practices around the management of pregnancy in MPN patients. As the obstetric population ages and MPNs are being increasingly diagnosed in younger patients, pregnancy in MPNs will become more frequently encountered. She will discuss current data surrounding pregnancy outcomes in MPNs and current recommendations for the use of anti-platelet agents, anticoagulation, and cytoreduction in the ante- and post-partum period. Using a case-based approach, Dr. How will suggest best practices in areas with limited data.