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Risk of Thromboembolic Events in Patients With Polycythemia Vera: A Real-World Observational Study
Andrew T Kuykendall1, Arturo Molina2, Nancy Reaven3
1Department of Malignant Hematology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL.
Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma & Leukemia
|June 16, 2026
Summary
Patients with polycythemia vera (PV) face significant risks of thromboembolic events (TEs). Even low-risk patients require monitoring, as all PV groups are susceptible to TEs and cardiovascular events.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Oncology
- Cardiovascular Medicine
Background:
- Polycythemia vera (PV) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm.
- PV significantly elevates the risk of thromboembolic and cardiovascular events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess thromboembolic event (TE) rates in different risk categories of Polycythemia Vera (PV).
- To identify risk factors associated with TEs in PV patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study using real-world electronic health records (Optum's Market Clarity).
- Analyzed data from over 105 million US patients (2007-2019).
- Categorized PV patients into low-risk, event-based high-risk, and age-based high-risk groups.
Main Results:
- 25.1% of 20,089 PV patients experienced at least one post-index TE.
- TE incidence varied by risk group: 50.2% (event-based high-risk), 25.0% (age-based high-risk), and 13.3% (low-risk).
- Key risk factors included prior TEs, elevated white blood cells, and cytoreductive medication; higher hematocrit increased TE risk.
Conclusions:
- All PV patient groups are at risk for developing additional TEs.
- Prior TE history indicates the highest thrombotic risk.
- There is a critical need for improved therapies to mitigate TEs and cardiovascular events in PV patients.
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