• Press Release

Mount Sinai Researcher’s Examine the Metabolic Effects of an Oral Blood Cancer Drug

Recent study found that an effective blood cancer treatment was associated with weight gain, obesity, and increased systolic blood pressure

  • New York, NY
  • (November 12, 2019)
A popular cancer drug is associated with significant weight gain and increased systolic blood pressure, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report in a study published in Scientific Reports in November.
 
The drug, ruxolitinib, was the first and currently remains the most widely used FDA-approved mechanism-based therapy for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), blood cancers that include myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera. Ruxolitinib is a Janus kinases (JAK) 1/2 inhibitor, an enzyme-blocker that affects blood cell production.
 
As cancer therapies improve, and patients are living longer on them, understanding the long-term consequences of these targeted therapies on metabolic health is increasingly important.
 
“Weight gain with ruxolitinib has previously been reported in clinical trials, but our study provides real-world experience regarding the extent of that weight gain,” said Emily J. Gallagher, MD, PhD, the study’s lead author and Assistant Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, specializing in onco-endocrinology, the treatment of endocrine complications of oncology treatments. “We recommend that patients who go on this medication and do have an increase in weight get a full metabolic evaluation.”
 
The researchers studied 69 patients with MPNs who started on ruxolitinib from 2010 to 2017 at Mount Sinai. The patients’ medical records had data on metabolic parameters up to one year prior to starting ruxolitinib and 72 weeks after starting the drug. They found that more than half of patients taking this medication gained more than 5 percent in body weight. The weight gain was also associated with an increase in systolic blood pressure and liver enzymes. 
 
“In contrast to the perception of many health care providers, patients are not going from being underweight to being a normal weight. Instead, a significant number of patients are developing obesity. Based on these results, physicians should be aware of the potential effects, and counsel patients accordingly,” said Dr. Gallagher.
 
This study is the first step in documenting the metabolic consequences of this drug. Further studies are needed to gain a greater understanding of the changes in hormones and metabolism in those receiving treatment for this condition.

About the Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai Health System is one of the nation’s leading integrated academic health systems and one of the largest in the New York metropolitan area. Its comprehensive system includes seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, over 600 research and clinical laboratories, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing. Together, the Health System comprises approximately 48,000 employees, more than 9,000 physicians, and 8,600 nurses.

As a leading learning health system, Mount Sinai combines clinical expertise with scientific discovery to improve patient care while training the next generation of health care and biomedical leaders. The Health System provides care across every stage of life, from prenatal care through geriatrics, while advancing personalized medicine through artificial intelligence, data science, and biomedical research.

Mount Sinai is consistently recognized among the nation’s leading academic health systems for patient care, research, and education. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 1 in New York by Newsweek and No. 5 on the magazine’s World’s Best Hospitals list. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ranks No. 11 among U.S. medical schools and No. 1 among freestanding medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding, reflecting the strength of its scientific enterprise and leadership in biomedical research.