What should I know when first diagnosed with myelofibrosis?

What should I know when first diagnosed with myelofibrosis?

So I think the first thing is that it's not necessarily a death sentence. So, right, the prognosis is highly variable. And I think that seeing a specialist is highly important in the beginning phases of treatment, because you really need the full set of information to make an informed decision about which way to go and what's the best plan of care.

The other thing that we get asked a lot is, is there anything I can do? And sort of is the answer. So there's not any particular diet or exercise regimen that we know is super important. But we also know, right, that eating properly is helpful and exercising is helpful. If you smoke, stopping smoking is hugely important here. And just kind of staying involved and being active in your care.

So I think the most important thing that I talk to patients about when I first see folks in clinic is really the fact that these diseases, I think of them as a marathon and not as a sprint. I think one of the most important things that I really talk to patients about is the fact that treating these diseases and living with these diseases, which is really what patients do, is a marathon. And the goal that I have with my patients is really to make this marathon as symptom-free and as easy as possible.

And so my goal in treating patients is to really maximize quality of life. Be careful what you read online. Not every myelofibrosis is the same just because there's a diagnosis of myelofibrosis that does not necessitate treatments or sometimes a stem cell transplant.

There's a lot of new treatments that are coming, and that's very exciting that traditionally there really were a shortage of therapies. But now the market has become really competitive with a lot of new agents that are really changing the landscape of how clinicians treat these disorders.

This is probably the best time to have ever been diagnosed, because we have more treatment options than we've ever had. Making it possible for us to offer our patients symptom relief, disease palliation, and disease control.