title: Minimal residual disease after long-term interferon-alpha2 treatment: a report on hematological, molecular and histomorphological response patterns in 10 patients with essential thrombocythemia and polycythemia vera.
abstract: Essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV) are Philadelphia chromosome-negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) characterized by the JAK2 V617F mutation, which can be found in more than 98% of PV patients and in ∼ 50% of ET patients. Assessment of the JAK2 V617F allele burden by a highly sensitive quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay appears to be a useful tool for monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD) and evaluating treatment efficacy. This report expands and substantiates existing data, showing that IFN-alpha2 is a highly potent immunomodulating agent capable of inducing MRD with low-burden JAK2 V617F, major molecular response (MMR), complete hematological remission (CHR) and complete histomorphological normalization of the bone marrow in a sub-set of patients with ET and PV after long-term treatment (≥ 3.5 years). Furthermore, long-lasting hematological, molecular and histomorphological remissions are sustained after discontinuation of IFN-alpha2 for up to ∼ 5-6 years.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Roskilde Hospital, University of Copenhagen , Denmark.
authors.forename: Cecilie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Utke Rank
authors.affiliation: b Department of Hematology , Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen , Denmark.
authors.forename: Ole
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Weis Bjerrum
authors.affiliation: c Department of Hematology X , Odense University Hospital , Denmark.
authors.forename: Thomas Stauffer
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Roskilde Hospital, University of Copenhagen , Denmark.
authors.forename: Lasse
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kjær
authors.affiliation: d Department of Pathology , Odense University Hospital , Denmark.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: de Stricker
authors.affiliation: e Department of Hematology , Herlev Hospital, University of Copenhagen , Denmark.
authors.forename: Caroline Hasselbalch
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Roskilde Hospital, University of Copenhagen , Denmark.
authors.forename: Hans Carl
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hasselbalch
keywords: Interferon-alpha2; JAK2 V617F; MPNs; essential thrombocythemia; minimal residual disease; polycythemia vera