Dr. Mesa on Rechallenging With JAK Inhibitor Therapy in MPNs

Ruben A. Mesa, MD, director of the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the potential clinical benefit of rechallenging with JAK inhibitor therapy in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).

Preclinical and anecdotal data ​suggest that holding ruxolitinib (Jakafi) may yield some clinical benefit for patients, says Mesa.

Particularly, this method may have utility for patients who are ineligible for clinical trials or do not have access to fedratinib (Inrebic)​, Mesa explains.

​Determining whether a patient has disease progression is critical when considering this strategy as rechallenging with ruxolitinib may not be beneficial in patients who have not progressed, concludes Mesa.