Real-World Treatment Patterns and Healthcare Resource Use for Patients with Myelofibrosis: Results from the METER Study

Myelofibrosis (MF) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm that was most commonly treated with hydroxyurea (HU) prior to approval of ruxolitinib (RUX), now the standard of care. Factors that influence changes in MF treatment in real-world settings are not well understood. The METER study (NCT05444972) was a multi-country retrospective chart review of MF treatment patterns, treatment effectiveness, and healthcare resource utilization. Of 997 eligible patients, 65.9% had primary MF, and 11.7% were transfusion-dependent. The median (IQR) time from MF diagnosis to start of initial treatment (index date) was 29 (1-140) days. RUX was the most common first-line (1L) therapy (49.0%), followed by hydroxyurea (40.2%); 48.5% of patients remained on 1L therapy through Week 156. A total of 77 patients underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation; use of transplantation was uncommon as 1L therapy and increased from 2.2% at Week 24 to 11.0% at Week 156 in patients 70 years of age. Median (95% CI) overall survival was 79.1 (70.8-non-estimable [NE]) months in all patients, 142.3 (74.1-NE) months for non-RUX patients, 77.6 (64.2-85.9) months for RUX 1L patients, and 72.6 (62.0-NE) months for RUX 2L+ patients. Of patients who experienced ≥1 corresponding event during the observational period, the median (IQR) hospital length of stay (LoS) (n=520), intensive care unit LoS (n=71), and number of transfusion events (n=375) were 16 (7-37) days, 5 (2-13) days, and 12 (4-26), respectively. Despite improvements, there was a high degree of hospitalization and transfusion events among these patients in routine practice. NCT05444972.