Dr. Spivak on the Prevalence of Polycythemia Vera

Jerry L​e Pow Spivak, MD, professor of ​medicine and ​oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, director, Center for the Chronic Myeloproliferative Disorders, ​Johns Hopkins Medicine, discusses the prevalence of polycythemia vera ​(PV). 

Although PV is a prevalent myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), the optimal diagnostic strategy is not well defined, says Spivak.

Notably, compared with other MPNs, patients with PV are at risk of thrombosis, Spivak says. Moreover, patients with PV often present with thrombosis, which recurs over the course of their disease. 

Since initial reports of PV in the late 1800s, a body of knowledge has been gained in the space. Although literature only dates back about 10 years, historic data ​should not be discounted, Spivak concludes.