Clinical Evaluation of the Efficacy and Safety of Anagrelide Used with or without Hydroxycarbamide in Japanese Patients with Essential Thrombocythemia-A Retrospective Single-Center Study of 35 Cases.

OBJECTIVE

The clinical features(CF), laboratory data, disease transformation pattern and drug metabolism in essential thrombocythemia(ET)differ between Japan and Western countries. The CF of ET in clinical practice(CP)are more diverse than in prospective clinical studies. We should conduct retrospective analyses in CP. The present study was aimed at evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of anagrelide(ANA)monotherapy and combined ANA plus hydroxycarbamide(HC)in Japanese ET.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

We have a total of 35 cases. Sixteen patients received ANA monotherapy, 10 received ANA plus HC, and 9 received ANA plus other drugs.

RESULTS

Comparison among three groups revealed the absence of differences in response rate(platelet count C60×10 / / 4/mL, platelet count C40×104/mL)(43.8%, 6.3% vs. 50.0%, 10.0% vs. 44.4%, 11.1%), treatment continuation rate(81.3% vs. 40.0% vs. 55.6%), median daily dose of ANA(1.00 mg in all three groups)or median treatment period(days)(259 vs. 198.5 vs. 161.0), the treatment continuation rate tended to be lower in the combined ANA plus HC. The incidence of all adverse events(AEs)was higher in the ANA monotherapy(45.7%)than ANA plus HC(28.6%)or ANA plus other drugs(25.7%), the AEs were mild in all groups.

CONCLUSION

The tolerability of ANA monotherapy, ANA plus HC, and ANA plus other drugs were good.