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Interferons in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

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Pathogenesis and Treatment of Leukemia

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Abstract

It took more than 30 years of clinical use of interferon (INF) in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) for the official approval of the first ever interferon (ropeginterferon alpha-2b) for patients with polycythemia vera (PV), one of the classical MPNs. INF possesses broad range of biological properties, including enhancement of immune response and direct effects on malignant cells with a potential of their ultimate elimination. Despite its long-known antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and auspicious disease-modifying effects, side effects hampered widespread INF use and complicated its approval path for MPN patients. Notwithstanding, INF has been so far used in numerous, smaller, earlier phase studies encompassing almost 1000 patients with MPN where it constantly showed high rates of hematological, and less commonly molecular and histopathological remissions. The later responses, which in some patients persisted even after therapy discontinuation, highlighted the agent’s potential to alter the disease course. Approval of ropeginterferon for PV and ongoing use of other INF forms in an off-label setting for MPN patients, will continue to further define the true role of INF within MPN treatment armamentarium. In this chapter, we provide overview of INF mechanisms and summary of clinical data of INF in patients with classical MPNs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Leukemia, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Lucia Masarova & Srdan Verstovsek

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  1. Lucia Masarova
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  2. Srdan Verstovsek
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Correspondence to Lucia Masarova .

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  1. Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Hongkong, Hong Kong

    Harinder Gill

  2. Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Hongkong, Hong Kong

    Yok-Lam Kwong

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This review was supported in part by the MD Anderson Cancer Centre Support Grant (CCSG) CA016672.

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Both authors participated in writing the paper, have reviewed and approved the current version of the manuscript.

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Masarova, L., Verstovsek, S. (2023). Interferons in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms. In: Gill, H., Kwong, YL. (eds) Pathogenesis and Treatment of Leukemia. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-3810-0_42

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