Angela Fleischman, MD, PhD, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, discusses the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), highlighting key aspects of how the microenvironment is involved in disease progression. Research has provided evidence for the impact of diet on the production of inflammatory cytokines and hence could be a viable means for intervention in MPNs. Dr Fleischman talks on a feasibility trial (NCT03907436) which her lab recently undertook to investigate if patients are able to adhere to a diet intervention. The nutritional intervention consisted of a Mediterranean diet followed by in-person diet counselling. Dr Fleischman aims to reproduce this data using a larger cohort and will look to investigate whether a diet intervention can reduce symptom burden and inflammation in patients with MPNs. This interview took place at the Texas MPN Workshop: Second Annual Workshop and Meeting in 2021.
