New study highlights potential of JAK inhibitors for autoimmune symptoms in MDS and CMML

JAK inhibitors, such as upadacitinib and ruxolitinib, show significant potential in treating inflammatory and autoimmune disorders that are resistant to traditional therapies in patients with myeloid disorders like myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), according to a study.

This highlights a promising new therapeutic approach for managing these challenging conditions, particularly in elderly patients.

The study highlighted cases involving patients over the age of 60, who experienced autoimmune symptoms such as erythema nodosum, Raynaud’s phenomenon, Sjogren syndrome, and persistent pruritus. These inflammatory manifestations proved resistant to conventional treatments. However, treatment with JAK inhibitors, such as upadacitinib and ruxolitinib, showed significant promise. In 2 cases, upadacitinib led to improvement in symptoms, reduction in corticosteroid use, and better blood test results. In one case, when upadacitinib became less effective, switching to ruxolitinib provided further clinical benefit.

Reference
Mishra R, Calabrese C, Jain AG, et al. Association between myeloid disorders and adult onset-inflammatory syndromes, successful treatment with JAK-inhibitors: Case series and literature review. Leuk Res. 2024;146:107584. doi: 10.1016/j.leukres.2024.107584. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39243744.