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Part 1: Identifying Patients With Advanced PV

Dr Shammo: Polycythemia vera is a hematological malignancy that may become advanced in a subset of patients despite treatment with hydroxyurea and phlebotomy, resulting in ineffective disease control.

Narrator: Clinical characteristics of advanced PV may include hematocrit greater than or equal to 45% plus one additional risk factor despite treatment with hydroxyurea and phlebotomy. Specifically, clinical characteristics of advanced PV may include hematocrit greater than or equal to 45% plus elevated white blood cell count greater than 11x10⁹ per liter or burdensome disease-related symptoms such as fatigue, early satiety, inactivity, concentration problems, and itching.

Dr Shammo: Well, anytime you have a patient who has PV and has a hematocrit greater than 45%, you can correctly assume that the risk of thrombosis is definitely elevated. And the same could be said, although somewhat hampered by the retrospective nature of that finding, but I think it would be reasonable to also say that leukocytosis can also represent another factor for the increased risk of thrombosis.

I think the symptom burden of patients who have PV have been largely underrepresented and underappreciated.

Narrator: Actively monitor for hematocrit plus in your patients with polycythemia vera.

Part 1: Identifying Patients With Advanced PV

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

Consider the clinical characteristics of advanced PV.

Image of Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP Associate Professor, Rush University Medical Center, | Chicago, IL

As principal investigator of clinical trials in her area of expertise, Dr Shammo is heavily involved in education, research, and administrative activities in the Division of Hematology/Oncology. She is recognized nationally for her expertise in bone marrow failure syndromes/paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and was chosen to serve as a national coordinator for the US PNH registry.

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Image leads to video of Dr Shammo talking about the clinical characteristics of advanced polycythemia vera.

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Identifying Patients With Advanced PV

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

Consider the clinical characteristics of advanced PV.

Image leads to video of Dr Shammo talking about the importance of attaining hematocrit below 45% for all patients with polycythemia vera.

Elevated Hematocrit and Thrombotic Risk

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

Understanding the risk of elevated Hct ≥45% in patients with PV.

Image leads to video of Dr Shammo talking about what counts when it comes to elevated white blood cell counts.

Elevated White Blood Cell Count and Thrombotic Risk

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

What counts when it comes to elevated white blood cell counts?

Image leads to video of Dr Shammo talking about monitoring patients' blood counts for more than elevated hematocrit.

Real-World Data Concerning Elevated Blood Counts

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

Monitoring patients' blood counts for more than elevated hematocrit.

Image leads to video of Dr Shammo talking about recognizing the substantial symptom burden affecting patients with polycythemia vera.

Symptom Burden

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

Recognizing the substantial symptom burden affecting patients with PV.

Image leads to video of Dr Shammo as she reviews the WHO 2016 criteria for diagnosing polycythemia vera.

Diagnosing PV

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

Review the WHO 2016 criteria for diagnosing PV.

Image leads to video of Dr Shammo talking about the importance of assessing risk of thrombosis after diagnosing polycythemia vera.

Assessing Risk in PV

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

Assessing risk of thrombosis is an important next step after diagnosing PV.

Image leads to video of Dr Jamile Shammo talking about the importance of hematocrit levels in polycythemia vera disease.

Is a hematocrit level of less than 45% important in PV?

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

The potential impact of a target hematocrit level of <45% on major thrombosis or cardiac death.

Image leads to video of Dr Jamile Shammo talking about PV management.

What are some of the issues in the management of PV?

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

Important issues to consider when optimizing care of patients with PV.

Image leads to video of Dr Jamile Shammo talking about how to assess PV patients.

How do you assess your patients with PV?

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

How assessing and treating PV may demand a more individualized approach.

Image of Jamile M Shammo, MD discussing what causes PV.

What causes PV?

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

How a specific gene mutation may lead to the development of PV.

Image leads to video of Dr Jamile Shammo talking about cytoreductive therapies in PV treatment.

When do you utilize cytoreductive therapies in the treatment of PV?

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

The use of cytoreductive therapy in high-risk patients with PV.

Image leads to video of Dr Jamile Shammo talking about PV diagnosis.

What do you consider when making a diagnosis of PV?

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

A look at the subtleties and challenges associated with PV.

Image leads to video of Dr Jamile Shammo discussing challenges of polycythemia vera.

What are some of the challenges involved in making a PV diagnosis?

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

Factors that make diagnosing PV challenging or may lead to an incorrect diagnosis.

Image leads to video of Dr Jamile Shammo talking about assessing polycythemia vera disease progression.

How do you assess the risk of PV progression?

By: Jamile M Shammo, MD, FASCP, FACP

Specific parameters and criteria needed to assess PV progression.