12th Congress of the European Hematology ... - Haematologica

12 th Congress of the European Hematology Association
bocytopenia at baseline, 59 (40%) had neutropenia and 84 (57%) had
either neutropenia or thrombocytopenia. As reported previously (List et
al. NEJM 2006), 99 patients (67%) achieved RBC transfusion independence.
Regardless of whether or not a patient was thrombocytopenic at
baseline, a drop in platelet count by ≥50% within the first 8 weeks of
therapy correlated with a higher chance of RBC transfusion independence
(p=0.005). Comparing patients who had a ≥50% drop vs those
who did not, transfusion independence was achieved in 76% vs 47% of
patients without baseline thrombocytopenia and in 67% vs 38% of
patients with baseline thrombocytopenia. Similar results held for
patients without baseline neutropenia: 82% whose ANC fell ≥75%
achieved RBC transfusion independence, compared to 56% whose ANC
fell