Patients of Myeloproliferative neoplasms are at high risk of infection: Study

Hematologic malignancies accounted for 9% of all newly diagnosed cancers in the United States. Infections are a common complication in patients with many hematologic malignancies.

A new study by Anna Ravn Landtblom and team reported that Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN) patients were at higher risk of infection. This study is published in leukemia journal.

The objective of the study was to assess whether patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) also are at an increased risk of infections.

A large population-based matched cohort study was conducted in Sweden including 8,363 MPN patients and 32,405 controls using high-quality registers between the years 1992–2013 with follow-up until 2015.

The results of the study were found to be

• The hazard ratio (HR) of any infection was found to be 2.0 (95% confidence interval 1.9–2.0), of bacterial infections 1.9 (1.8–2.0).

• Viral infections was found to be 2.1 (1.9–2.3). One of the largest risk increases was that of sepsis, HR 2.6 (2.4–2.9).

• The HR of any infection was highest in primary myelofibrosis 3.7 (3.2–4.1), and significantly elevated in all MPN subtypes; 1.7 (1.6–1.8) in polycythemia vera and 1.7 (1.5–1.8) in essential thrombocythemia.

• There was no significant difference in risk of infections between untreated patients and patients treated with hydroxyurea or interferon-α during the years 2006–2013.

Landtblom and team concluded that "These novel findings of an overall increased risk of infections in MPN patients, irrespective of common cytoreductive treatments, suggest the increased risk of infection is inherent to the MPN."

For further information: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-020-0909-7