MF is a rare, progressive cancer caused by various changes (mutations) in the DNA of your bone marrow (the spongy tissue inside bones). These changes can disrupt how your body would normally produce healthy blood cells. Decreases in your red blood cell and platelet counts may be one of many signs that your MF at diagnosis might not be the MF you have today.
Your healthcare team will monitor your blood cell counts over time to see if your MF is changing.
Learning more about these signs can help you understand more about what makes your MF unique.
Red blood cell and platelet counts can decrease over the course of MF—sometimes rapidly. These low blood cell counts are often called cytopenias, and you may hear your doctor refer to MF with low red blood cell and platelet counts as “cytopenic MF.”
Cytopenias may be caused by MF or by previous medications taken for MF. In early stages of MF, ~30% of people don’t have symptoms associated with cytopenias but symptoms may develop as MF progresses and blood cell counts drop.
If you need red blood cell transfusions more often during MF treatment, this may be a sign of worsening MF that’s worth discussing with your doctor. To determine if these transfusions are needed, your doctor may test your hemoglobin level (a protein in your red blood cells) to see if your body has fewer red blood cells than normal (anemia).
When your red blood cells drop low enough, you may have to get one or more transfusions to help quickly raise your red blood cell count and reduce symptoms of anemia (eg, more tired or weaker than usual). However, as the impact of each transfusion decreases over time, you may need transfusions more frequently over the course of your disease.
Your MF treatment dose may be based on your platelet counts. If your platelet counts drop, your doctor may lower or otherwise change the dose of your MF treatment. In certain situations, those lower platelet counts may be caused by your MF treatment and your doctor may talk to you about VONJO.
When your bone marrow isn’t working properly, the spleen works harder than normal to try to replace damaged blood cells with new ones. This causes the spleen to grow, which puts pressure on nearby organs. Symptoms can include early feelings of fullness when eating, abdominal discomfort, and pain under the ribs on the left side.
When you are being treated for MF, your doctor will check your spleen size by feeling your upper abdominal area or by using imaging tests (such as computerized tomography [CT/CAT scan], magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], or ultrasound) for more accuracy. Symptoms of spleen growth may be telling you how you’re responding to treatment.
Since MF is a progressive disease, it's important to keep track of your symptoms and tell your doctor if they worsen or become more concerning to you.
Think about how those worsening symptoms may be changing your daily routine. Do they hold you back from activities you enjoy, such as taking walks, sharing meals with friends, or spending time with your family?
If you're concerned about the changes in your symptoms, talk with your doctor. These changes could be a sign that your MF is evolving.
Taking notes to share with your doctor can help you discuss how your symptoms have changed over the course of your MF treatment. Always talk to your doctor if you have any signs or symptoms that bother you or won’t go away.
VONJO is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with certain types of myelofibrosis (MF) who have a platelet count below 50 × 109/L.
It is not known if VONJO is safe and effective in children.
This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on spleen volume reduction. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial(s).
Bleeding. VONJO may cause severe bleeding, which can be serious and, in some cases, may lead to death. Avoid taking VONJO if you are bleeding. If you develop bleeding, stop VONJO and call your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider will do a blood test to check your blood cell counts before you start VONJO and regularly during your treatment with VONJO. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you develop any of these symptoms: unusual bleeding, bruising, and fever. You will need to stop taking VONJO 7 days before any planned surgery or invasive procedure (such as a heart catheterization, stent placement in a coronary artery in your heart, or a procedure for varicose veins). Your healthcare provider should tell you when you can start taking VONJO again.