Treatment of polycythemia vera with recombinant interferon alpha (rIFNalpha) or imatinib mesylate.

Polycythemia vera (PV) is a myeloproliferative disease which if untreated leads to thrombohemorrhagic complications and eventually to progressive myelofibrosis of the marrow, anemia, and splenomegaly. Two new drugs are now available, interferon and imatinib mesylate, which may alter the course of this disease. Used as single agents, each produces lasting remissions in about 75% of the cases.