Comorbidities Such As Thromboembolic Events Significantly Worsen Patient-Reported Quality of Life (QoL) and Symptoms in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN) - Data from the Bioregistry of the German Study Group for MPN (GSG-MPN)
Authors: Isfort Susanne , Stegelmann Frank , Klausmann Martine , Schulz Holger , Hollburg Wiebke , Al-Ali Haifa Kathrin , Goethert Joachim R. , Heidel Florian H. , Maintz Christoph , Haenel Mathias , Platzbecker Uwe , Hansen Richard , Keszei Andras , Gecht Judith , Kricheldorf Kim , Kaifie Andrea , Crysandt Martina , Gezer Deniz , Griesshammer Martin , Brümmendorf Tim H , Döhner Konstanze , Koschmieder Steffen 
Published: October 2019

Introduction: Ph-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) represent a heterogeneous group of hematological malignancies which differ in various aspects such as clinical manifestation, underlying genetic aberrations, cytomorphological features and life expectancy. However, across all subtypes, patients (pts) with MPN often suffer from severe symptoms, resulting in an impairment of the quality of life (QoL).

Methods: The German Study Group for MPN (GSG-MPN) Bioregistry is a non-interventional prospective study including pts of at least 18 years with diagnosis of Ph-negative MPN according to WHO criteria (2008) having provided written informed consent. The Bioregistry study also includes assessment of QoL at baseline and on an annual basis, with all pts completing the standardized MPN-SAF-TSS questionnaire (German version) and an additional item indicating pts' subjective overall QoL on an 11-point Likert scale. Total scores range from 0 to 90 and were calculated if at least 6 items were answered (Emanuel RM et al., J Clin Oncol. 2012; 30 (33): 4098-103.)). Clinical variables, as documented in the registry, included comorbidities, reported symptoms as assessed by the physician, bleeding, and thromboembolic events (TEE). For statistical analysis, standard descriptive methods, Spearman correlation coefficient, Wilcoxon test/Kruskal-Wallis test for significance testing, and Kendall´s tau-b statistics were used.

Results: 1,403 pts who had completed at least six items of the QoL assessment at baseline were included in this analysis. Median age at diagnosis was 58 years (interquartile range [IQR] 22), 98% were Caucasian, 50% were female. 494 pts were diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia (ET, 35%), 444 pts with polycythemia vera (PV, 32%), 302 pts with primary myelofibrosis (PMF, 22%), 83 pts with MPN-unclassifiable (MPNu, 6%), 43 pts with post-ET-myelofibrosis (pET-MF, 3%) and 37 pts with post-PV-myelofibrosis (pPV-MF, 3%). The most common complaint reported via the MPN-SAF-TSS was fatigue, occurring in more than 80% of the pts in all entities except MPNu (77%). More than 50 % of pts in each entity reported to suffer from early satiety, night sweats, concentration problems, or overall impairment of QoL. Table 1 summarizes all 9 symptoms and overall QoL from the questionnaire categorized by entity. Interestingly, the pts suffering from PET-MF reported the highest symptom burden, while PPV-MF pts showed the lowest overall symptom burden (median total QoL score of 23 vs. 16; p=0.01). The strongest correlations among the different symptoms were seen for fatigue and overall QoL (Spearman´s rho 0.57, p<0.001) as well as concentration problems and overall QoL (Spearman´s rho 0.33, p<0.001). Furthermore, the impact of variables such as age, comorbidities and TEE on QoL was assessed. Abdominal discomfort increased with age (rho = -0.14, p<0.001). A history of TEE before baseline assessment correlated significantly with fatigue scores (Spearman rho= 0.07, p<0.01) and with concentration problems (rho=0.07, p<0.01). With an increasing number of TEE, scores for both of these items worsened over time (p< 0.01, respectively). Moreover, MPN-total score (MPN-TSS) was higher in pts with more comorbidities (Median: 18 (IQR:23), and 25 (27) for pts with <3 versus ≥3 comorbidities, respectively, p= 0.017). Next, we compared data on 5 of the pts symptoms (reported in the questionnaire) to their assessment by the treating physician (only 5 items were available both in the questionnaire and in our registry database) in order to understand whether the "physician´s opinion" is congruent with the patient´s reported outcome in the questionnaire. While there were clear associations between the two data sources, there were also significant discrepancies, e.g., the physician did not indicate fatigue in about 20% of pts with self-assessed fatigue score of >=6 points. The most concordant symptom was night sweats (further details in table 2).

Conclusions: Most MPN pts suffer from a significant symptom burden which impairs their QoL. TEE influence fatigue and concentration problems. The perception of symptoms (particularly with respect to fatigue) differs between pts and treating physician which suggests that questionnaires should be used on a routine basis in order to faithfully reflect patient´s degree of suffering from MPN and/or treatment.

Disclosures

Isfort: Amgen: Other: i.e. travel support; Mundipharma: Other: i.e. travel support; Roche: Other: i.e. travel support; Incyte/Ariad: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: i.e. travel support; BMS: Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: i.e. travel support; Alexion: Other: i.e. travel support; Hexal: Other: i.e. travel support. Stegelmann:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria. Al-Ali:Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding; Otsuka: Consultancy, Honoraria; Alexion: Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel support, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: Travel support, Research Funding. Goethert:BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: i.e. travel support; Incyte: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: i.e. travel support; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Proteros Biostructures: Honoraria; AOP Orphan: Other: i.e. travel support. Haenel:Novartis: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria. Platzbecker:Celgene: Research Funding. Griesshammer:Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Brümmendorf:Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy; Merck: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy.