Optimizing Care in Polycythemia Vera (PV): Clinical Insights and Therapeutic Decision-Making

Panelists discuss how integrating molecular markers—particularly JAK2 V617F allele burden—and clinical features such as symptom burden and thrombotic history inform diagnosis, risk stratification, and monitoring strategies in polycythemia vera to anticipate disease progression and guide personalized treatment.

Panelists discuss how thrombotic risk assessment—anchored in age, thrombotic history, and additional factors like leukocytosis and JAK2 allele burden—guides personalized therapy in polycythemia vera (PV), balancing cytoreduction, symptom control, and prevention of vascular events.

Panelists discuss how the decision to initiate cytoreductive therapy in polycythemia vera (PV) is driven by high-risk features such as age over 60 and thrombotic history, as well as factors like inadequate hematocrit control, symptom burden, and intolerance to phlebotomy, with therapy tailored to individual patient needs and goals.

Panelists discuss how frequent phlebotomy requirements—typically more than 4 to 6 times per year—serve as a marker of inadequate disease control in polycythemia vera (PV), prompting consideration of cytoreductive therapy to improve hematologic stability, alleviate symptoms, and reduce thrombotic risk.

Panelists discuss how the choice between hydroxyurea (HU) and interferon (IFN) for cytoreductive therapy in polycythemia vera (PV) depends on factors such as patient age, long-term safety, tolerability, comorbidities, response to previous treatments, and patient preferences, with HU often preferred in older patients and IFN favored for younger patients, those intolerant to HU, or those seeking potential disease-modifying effects.

Panelists discuss how in polycythemia vera (PV), defining and managing treatment resistance or intolerance is crucial, requiring careful monitoring and timely intervention, including assessing adherence, evaluating mutations, and making therapeutic adjustments such as dose modifications, switching to alternative therapies like ruxolitinib or interferon, and employing a multidisciplinary approach to ensure optimal disease control and patient outcomes.