MPN Cancer Connection

05/28/2026

PharmaEssentia taps Incyte alum Eric Vogel as it eyes Besremi expansion

PharmaEssentia has hired Eric Vogel as its new U.S. Head of Commercialization, as it seeks to broaden the label of its rare blood cancer drug, Besremi, to a much wider market. | PharmaEssentia has hired Eric Vogel as its new U.S. Head of Commercialization as it seeks to broaden the label of its rare...

05/07/2026

Seven years. Two medications. Five failed doctors.

When I was diagnosed with polycythemia vera in 2009, no one told me remission was possible. The only treatment I was offered, phlebotomy, guaranteed it wouldn't be.

Today my blood counts are normal. The molecular markers driving my PV are undetectable.

I just published the most personal article I've ever written. It covers how I got here, what it cost, the moment at ASH 2015 that changed everything, and what I want every PV patient to know.

This isn't a typical outcome. I won't pretend it is. But most patients are never told deeper responses are even on the table, and they deserve to know.

📖 Read the full story: https://pvreporter.com/polycythemia-vera-molecular-remission/

05/06/2026

MDM2 inhibitors in myeloid cancers: from basic biology to clinical use in myeloproliferative neoplasms

Pharmacologic targeting of murine double minute 2 (MDM2) represents one of the most compelling strategies for therapeutic reactivation of wild-type p53 in hematologic malignancies. The MDM2–p53 autoregulatory loop is a central regulator of cellular stress responses, and in myeloid neoplasms—incl...

05/03/2026

🚨 BREAKING NEWS: The FDA just approved Jakafi XR

A once-daily tablet of ruxolitinib for MF, PV and GVHD patients. Same proven medication, one pill a day. Available at pharmacies as early as May 8. This is big news for our community.

---> Talk with your MPN specialists folks, this will be news to many and more information will be forthcoming.

Read the full story:

The FDA just approved Jakafi XR, a once-daily ruxolitinib tablet for MF, PV and GVHD patients. Same proven treatment, simpler daily routine.

04/20/2026

We lost a great one this week.

Dr. Richard T. Silver passed away on April 17, 2026. He was 97 years old, and he used every one of those years.

For PV and MPN patients, his contributions are everywhere, in the treatments we take, the doctors who care for us, and the research that gives us hope. Some of us just didn't know his name. That changes today.

He helped shape modern hematology. He mentored the specialists treating us right now. He built a cancer research charity from scratch that has funded $17 million in grants. He journeyed into the Amazon. He played the clarinet on weekends.

And through all of it, patients came first.

I was fortunate enough to meet him in 2023. I wrote this piece because our community deserves to know who he was and how much we owe him.

Rest in peace, Dr. Silver. 🙏

Dr. Richard T. Silver, the Weill Cornell hematologist who introduced interferon for MPNs and helped launch imatinib for CML, has died at 97. A tribute.

04/18/2026

🔬 New Hope in the Fight Against Aggressive Blood Cancers

​A recent study published in Bone Marrow Transplantation provides a vital update on treating blast-phase myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN-BP). While this condition is traditionally highly aggressive, new data shows that allogeneic stem cell transplantation is offering a curative path for approximately one-third of patients.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41409-026-02842-z

04/17/2026

Big news for the ET community. 🧬

Alethio Therapeutics just announced ATX-011, a new antibody designed to work across all ET mutations. JAK2, CALR, MPL. It doesn't matter. One treatment for everyone.

In animal studies, platelet counts normalized within days. No myelosuppression. No safety signals. That's a very different picture than Hydroxyurea, which takes months, often fails, and carries real long-term risks.

IND filing is targeted for Q1 2027, with early clinical data expected by mid-2028. Still early, but this is exactly the kind of research the ET community has been waiting for.

With Besremi also advancing toward ET approval, patients may finally have real choices beyond a drug that's been the default for 50 years. 👇

🔗 Full details:

Oxford, UK – 16th April 2026 - Alethio Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), today announced the unveiling of ATX‑011, a first‑in‑class, mutation‑agnostic antibody with potential to disrupt the $2B Essential Thrombocyt...

04/15/2026

New findings published in Leukemia reinforce something I’ve been talking about in my recent video:

🫱 Early use of interferon in PV may drive deep remission
🫱 In some cases, patients may approach what’s being called an “operational cure”

For a long time, the standard approach was watch and wait.

That thinking may be shifting. I’m currently in remission and I’ve believed for some time it could go further than that.

Now we’re starting to see research point in the same direction.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41375-026-02882-w

04/08/2026

Our community is growing faster than ever, and while 99% of you are here for the right reasons - information, support, connection, and real talk, the recent surge in views means I need to set some firm "Rules of the Road."

This page has been my passion and advocacy work for 13 years. To protect the supportive environment we’ve built, I am implementing a Zero Tolerance Policy. I don’t have time for warnings; if you can’t play by these rules, you will be permanently removed.

🛡️ MPN Cancer Connection: Community Rules

1. Zero Tolerance for Nasty or Snide Remarks
If you make derogatory, snide, or intentionally inflammatory comments, you will be permanently banned immediately. We are here to lift each other up and primarily share information. If you are here to tear people down, find another page.

2. Respect the 17-Year Journey
I welcome respectful questions and challenges, but do not dismiss my experience or results without doing your research. This channel documents over a decade of "bad times," clinical realities, and hard-won progress. Please respect that history before offering "corrections" on my personal health journey.

3. Medical Decisions Stay with Professionals
I am a knowledgeable patient advocate, not a doctor. While I share my personal journey and the research I find, all medical decisions must be made with your own medical professional. This page is for advocacy and information, not a replacement for your hematologist or oncologist.

4. Sharing the Message
This is a community for connection. You are welcome to share my posts and videos to help others unless I specifically request "no sharing" on a particular post. If the information can help the community, pass it on.

I’m here because this is my passion, and I want to keep this space helpful for those who truly need it. Thanks for being part of the 99%!

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As for my recent "remission" video (which also appeared on our PV Reporter page without incident), please understand that I am unable to answer all questions, as I have numerous projects in the works. I do plan to address the most important ones in an upcoming video or article. Stay tuned, and thank you for understanding!

04/06/2026

5 things I wish someone told me when I was diagnosed with Polycythemia Vera (PV):

- Remission IS possible, but not with every treatment approach.

- Phlebotomy manages your hematocrit. It does NOT modify the underlying disease.

- Interferons (like Pegasys and Besremi) are the treatments most likely to lead to deep molecular responses. ---> It was the power combination of Pegasys and Jakafi that "was the knockout punch" for my PV.

- Not every hematologist is the right hematologist for you. I went through FIVE before finding a doctor who would partner with me.

- YOUR research matters. I brought a clinical trial printout to my doctor's office and it changed the entire course of my disease.

You have more control over your PV journey than you've been told.

Learn. Ask. Advocate.

Full story:

After 16 years as a Polycythemia Vera patient and 13 years as a patient advocate, I'm sharing something deeply personal: a snippet from the journey that led ...