With funding in part by the MPN Research Foundation, researchers at Mayo Clinic in Arizona have developed a symptom assessment tool for people with Essential Thrombocythemia, Polycythemia Vera and Myelofibrosis. Dr. Ruben Mesa created a way to accurately measure the types and severity of symptoms suffered by patients with one of the myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Dr. Mesa has been awarded multiple grants by the Foundation since 2003.
By tracking the extent and severity of symptoms reported by MPN patients such as fatigue, early satiety, night sweats, itching, bone pain, abdominal discomfort, weight loss, and fever, researchers hope to assist in the creation of new treatment options as well as at the clinical level. Because of this project, patients with myelofibrosis, essential thrombocythemia and polycythemia vera will benefit from a greater understanding of what symptoms they are suffering.