Myelofibrosis Treatments Include, Chemotherapy, Targeted Drug Therapy, Radiation Therapy, and Surgery

Myelofibrosis is a progressive disease of the bone marrow, which causes the production of fibrous fluid in the bone marrow, limiting the ability for white blood cells to do their work. It causes extensive scarring in your bone marrow, leading to severe anemia that can cause weakness and fatigue. The symptoms of myelofibrosis are enlarged spleen, edema, hemolytic anemia, bone marrow dysfunction, and lymphangiectatic syndrome. The prevalence of myelofibrosis is approximately 1 per 100,000 individuals worldwide. Myelofibrosis usually affects individuals of the Ashkenazi Jews race whereas African American, Latin American, and people from APAC are less likely to develop myelofibrosis.

Myelofibrosis treatments include, chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. If myelofibrosis is causing severe anemia, treatments may include, blood transfusions, androgen therapy, thalidomide and related medications. For an enlarged spleen, treatments include, targeted drug therapy, chemotherapy, surgical removal of the spleen (splenectomy), and radiation therapy. A bone marrow transplant can also be adopted wherein the diseased bone marrow is replaced using healthy blood stem cells.

Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, is used in more advanced cases when no other myelofibrosis treatment options have been attempted. It involves the use of high-powered energy beams aimed at cancerous tissues. Although it kills the cancerous cells, it may also damage normal cells. This is why myelofibrosis patients frequently undergo a splenectomy. A splenectomy is the surgical removal of a lymph node to remove the lymph nodes from affected areas. Splenectomy may help reduce the size of the spleen or lengthen the lives of the lung tissues. However, it is not clear whether it kills cancer cells during the procedure. Chemotherapy medications help reduce the size of the tumor and improve the immune system of the body. The side effects of chemotherapy drugs are similar to those of radiation therapy, such as hair loss and nausea, so chemotherapy may be the best option for myelofibrosis patients who do not respond to radiation therapy.