Role of Additional Novel Therapies in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

The recent approval of ruxolitinib (INCB018424) for myelofibrosis and the preclinical/clinical development of several additional Janus kinase (JAK)targeted agents have ushered in an era of novel therapies for advanced myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), which are associated with constitutive activation of the JAK signal transducer and activation of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway. Collectively, these novel therapeutic approaches could rapidly broaden the spectrum of available therapies, with potential for improved clinical outcome for patients with advanced MPN. This review covers the recent developments in the testing of novel therapeutic agents other than JAK inhibitors that target signaling pathways in addition to JAK/STAT, or target the deregulated epigenetic mechanisms in MPN.