Dr. Gerds on the Rationale for the Real-World REVEAL Study in Polycythemia Vera

Aaron T. Gerds, MD, MS, assistant professor in medicine (hematology and medical oncology), physician, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, member, Developmental Therapeutics Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, discusses the rationale for the real-world REVEAL study (NCT02252159) in polycythemia vera (PV).

REVEAL was a large, prospective, observational study of over 2000 patients with PV who were treated in community and academic practices. During the 2021 ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition, findings from an analysis of the trial evaluating the association between elevated blood counts and occurrence of thrombotic events were presented.

Prospective studies are needed in PV, which is a rare myeloproliferative neoplasm, to improve clinicians’ understanding of the disease, Gerds explains. Although several retrospective database studies have been conducted in PV to assess risk factors of PV and outcome variability, few prospective trials have been conducted to evaluate similar aspects of the disease.

The REVEAL study evaluated the largest real-world cohort of patients with PV to date, Gerds explains. Over a period of 3 years following the end of enrollment, basic clinical information and blood samples were collected from evaluable patients.

The initial data that were presented during the 2021 ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition demonstrated significant individual associations between elevated hematocrit levels, elevated white blood cell counts, and elevated platelet counts and increased risk of thrombotic events in patients with PV. Additional analyses are ongoing, Gerds concludes.