Treatment for MPN varies according to the exact subtype and other factors that are specific to an individual patient’s case. For example, people with chronic myeloid leukaemia usually take imatinib (or a similar drug), whilst people with essential thrombocythaemia and polycythaemia vera often take an aspirin, to reduce the risk of blood clots, and may also need to take other drugs to slow down their blood cell production.
If you have an MPN, you will need to be assessed by a specialist consultant who has expertise in these conditions. They will then discuss with you what treatment options are recommended for you. If appropriate, we will also discuss relevant clinical trials with you, which may be evaluating new therapies or investigating the causes of MPN.
MPN are relatively rare conditions and at UCLH we therefore have dedicated medical and nursing teams who specialise in looking after patients with these disorders. We have access to a wide range of specialist tests and therapies.
We have one team who specialise in chronic myeloid leukaemia, and another team who specialise in the other MPN.