Treatment of Steroid-Refractory Immune Thrombocytopenia

Dr. William (Adam) Hammond from Mayo Clinic and Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center, both in Jacksonville, FL, reviews his article appearing in the November 2019 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings that looked at best treatment options for patients with thrombocytopenia who no longer respond to steroids. He noted this is a preference-sensitive decision depending on whether patients prefer the one-time treatment of splenectomy, or if they would prefer to use medications as their primary treatment option. In the comparison, however, splenectomy was noted to be the most effective long-term treatment in the second line setting. But if patients relapse after receiving splenectomy or rituximab, using the other in the third line seems to be equally as effective.
Available at: https://mayocl.in/2ofpOyw