• Alberto Alvarez-Larrán, Manuel Pérez-Encinas, Francisca Ferrer-Marín, Juan Carlos Hernández-Boluda, María José Ramírez, Joaquín Martínez-López, Elena Magro, Yasmina Cruz, María Isabel Mata, Pilar Aragües, María Laura Fox, Beatriz Cuevas, Sara Montesdeoca, José Angel Hernández-Rivas, Valentín García-Gutiérrez, María Teresa Gómez-Casares, Juan Luis Steegmann, María Antonia Durán, Montse Gómez, Ana Kerguelen, Abelardo Bárez, Mari Carmen García, Concepción Boqué, José María Raya, Clara Martínez, Manuel Albors, Francesc García, Carmen Burgaleta, Carlos Besses, and Grupo Español de Neoplasias Mieloproliferativas Filadelfia Negativas.
• Hospital del Mar, IMIM, UAB, Barcelona, Spain 95967@parcdesalutmar.cat.
• Haematologica. 2017 Jan 1; 102 (1): 103-109.

AbstractHematocrit control below 45% is associated with a lower rate of thrombosis in polycythemia vera. In patients receiving hydroxyurea, this target can be achieved with hydroxyurea alone or with the combination of hydroxyurea plus phlebotomies. However, the clinical implications of phlebotomy requirement under hydroxyurea therapy are unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the need for additional phlebotomies during the first five years of hydroxyurea therapy in 533 patients with polycythemia vera. Patients requiring 3 or more phlebotomies per year (n=85, 16%) showed a worse hematocrit control than those requiring 2 or less phlebotomies per year (n=448, 84%). There were no significant differences between the two study groups regarding leukocyte and platelet counts. Patients requiring 3 or more phlebotomies per year received significantly higher doses of hydroxyurea than the remaining patients. A significant higher rate of thrombosis was found in patients treated with hydroxyurea plus 3 or more phlebotomies per year compared to hydroxyurea with 0-2 phlebotomies per year (20.5% vs. 5.3% at 3 years; P<0.0001). In multivariate analysis, independent risk factors for thrombosis were phlebotomy dependency (HR: 3.3, 95%CI: 1.5-6.9; P=0.002) and thrombosis at diagnosis (HR: 4.7, 95%CI: 2.3-9.8; P<0.0001). The proportion of patients fulfilling the European LeukemiaNet criteria of resistance/intolerance to hydroxyurea was significantly higher in the group requiring 3 or more phlebotomies per year (18.7% vs. 7.1%; P=0.001) mainly due to extrahematologic toxicity. In conclusion, phlebotomy requirement under hydroxyurea therapy identifies a subset of patients with increased proliferation of polycythemia vera and higher risk of thrombosis.Copyright© Ferrata Storti Foundation.

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