Oncology Learning NetworkMAJIC-PV Study Indicates Ruxolitinib Treatment Yields Superior Responses for Patients with Polycythemia Vera

Polycythemia vera often leads to thrombosis, hemorrhage, transformation to myelofibrosis, and early death.

A new study titled “MAJIC-PV”, led by Dr. Claire Harrison, reveals that the drug ruxolitinib could offer superior outcomes in patients suffering from polycythemia vera (PV), a rare form of blood cancer. This research brings to light the potential of ruxolitinib in extending event-free survival, overall survival, and molecular response among patients intolerant to hydroxycarbamide, a standard treatment for PV.

Key Points:

• The phase 2 MAJIC-PV trial results demonstrate that ruxolitinib outperforms the best available therapy in patients intolerant to hydroxycarbamide suffering from polycythemia vera (PV).
• Ruxolitinib treatment showed enhanced event-free survival, complete response, molecular response, and overall durable responses.
• The study suggests that molecular response (the reduction of JAK2 variant allele frequency by 50%) is tied to event-free survival, progression-free survival, and overall survival.

Additional Points:

• Patients treated with ruxolitinib had superior thrombosis-free survival and time to discontinuation of treatment.
• Controlling all parameters of the blood count, regardless of the therapy, was associated with event-free survival.
• Additional driver mutations, particularly SXR1 mutations, correlated with worse event-free survival and decreased likelihood of achieving a molecular response.
• No new safety concerns were associated with ruxolitinib, a fact important for practitioners considering the treatment for their patients.

Conclusion:

• The MAJIC-PV study affirms the effectiveness of ruxolitinib in managing PV, particularly for hydroxycarbamide-intolerant patients, with improved event-free and overall survival rates. The findings also underscore the importance of controlling blood count parameters and monitoring the JAK2 variant allele frequency as novel methods of managing disease progression.

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