Dr. Kuykendall on the Impact of Ruxolitinib in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Andrew T. Kuykendall, MD, assistant member, Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the impact of ruxolitinib (Jakafi) in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).

Ruxolitinib has had a great impact across the field of MPNs, explains Kuykendall. It targets the JAK-STAT pathway, which is highly active in these neoplasms. It has shown the greatest impact in patients with myelofibrosis, says Kuykendall, as it has the only FDA indication in this disease. In very symptomatic patients, the agent can help resolve symptoms and get a patient back to feeling normal—–something that was not possible previously, explains Kuykendall. Physicians are still trying to understand the agent’s reach in the landscape in terms of its ability to improve transplant outcomes and why it enables survival benefits.

In polycythemia vera, it has added to the field—if not changed the landscape, says Kuykendall. It’s viewed among physicians as a great second-line therapy after hydroxyurea intolerance or failure. Patients are also very appreciative of the agent as it can also help lessen a patient’s symptomatic burden, explains Kuykendall.