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New drugs in essential thrombocythemia and polycythemia vera
- Source :
- Blood Reviews. 11:1-7
- Publication Year :
- 1997
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 1997.
-
Abstract
- Among the chronic myeloproliferative disorders, polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia are unique because of their association with thrombohemorrhagic manifestations and their relatively indolent clinical course. Patients with essential thrombocythemia may not have a significant shortening of life-expectancy and most may not require specific therapy. However, patients with polycythemia vera have a significant risk of transformation of polycythemia vera into acute leukemia or postpolycythemic myelofibrosis (or both). 'High-risk-for-thrombosis' patients with either polycythemia vera or essential thrombocythemia require specific therapy with a platelet-lowering agent to prevent thrombotic complications. Currently, the standard agent used for this is hydroxyurea. However, its tetratogenic and leukemogenic potential has been of concern. As a result, new platelet-lowering agents are being evaluated in the treatment of polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia. Anagrelide and interferon alfa are two such agents and have been shown to be effective in reducing platelet counts in patients with chronic myeloproliferative disorders. The putative mechanism of action of these drugs, their specific activity in polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia, side-effect profile, and current indications are discussed herein.
- Subjects :
- medicine.medical_specialty
Alpha interferon
Antineoplastic Agents
Interferon alpha-2
Gastroenterology
Leukemogenic
Polycythemia vera
Fibrinolytic Agents
hemic and lymphatic diseases
Internal medicine
medicine
Humans
Myelofibrosis
Polycythemia Vera
Interferon alfa
Thrombocytosis
Acute leukemia
Essential thrombocythemia
business.industry
Interferon-alpha
Hematology
Anagrelide
medicine.disease
Recombinant Proteins
Oncology
Immunology
Quinazolines
business
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 0268960X
- Volume :
- 11
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Blood Reviews
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....0fd6e70a27d000bee8dd658389d47d42