Myeloproliferative neoplasms are types of blood cancer usually associated with finding too many blood cells on a full blood count. These can affect people at any age and are often picked up by chance. MPNs are classed by the World Health Organisation as a blood cancer because the bone marrow is producing blood cells in an uncontrolled way.
At Newcastle Hospitals we run a specialist MPN service for patients with the following conditions:
- Essential thrombocythaemia (ET)
- Polycythaemia vera (PV)
- Primary myelofibrosis (PMF)
- Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)
- Chronic neutrophilic leukaemia (CNL)
- Chronic eosinophilic leukaemia (CEL) and other eosinophilic disorders
- Mastocytosis
We mostly look after patients from the local Newcastle area but can see patients further afield for a second opinion.
We run three clinics within the Northern Centre for Cancer Care:
- Thursday afternoon MPN clinic
- Wednesday afternoon CML clinic (pharmacist/nurse-led)
- Friday morning MPN clinic (pharmacist/nurse-led)
Sometimes patients will be referred to other teams within the haematology department such as the obstetric haematology clinic or bone marrow transplant clinic. Patients 25-years-old and under will be offered support from the Teenage and Young Adult service.
In addition, we use the haematology day unit (ward 36) for procedures such as bone marrow biopsies or venesection, when patients need transfusions or intravenous medications or when patients need to be seen outside of clinic.
The team includes:
Dr Chris Carey – Consultant Haematologist
Dr Andrew McGregor – Consultant Haematologist
Professor Stephen O’Brien – Consultant Haematologist
Dr Emily Watts – Consultant Haematologist
Specialist Registrar
Mr Alvin Bencito – Clinical Nurse Specialist
Ms Sumantha Gabriel – Lead Clinical Pharmacist – Specialist Haematology
Ms Mary Aung – Advanced Clinical Pharmacist – Specialist Haematology
Mrs Alison Pinchard – MPN secretary
Mr Roger Bishop – Clinic Volunteer
Clinical trials
We have two clinical trials open for patients with MPN:
- MITHRIDATE – for patients with polycythaemia vera looking at the role of ruxolitinib (principal investigator – Dr McGregor)
- TRANSFORM-2 – for patients with myelofibrosis looking at the role of navitoclax (principal investigator – Dr McGregor)
Dr McGregor is a member of the national MPN and CML NCRI study groups.
Contacting the team
If you have questions outside of clinic relating to your MPN medications or underlying condition please contact Alvin Bencito on 0191 2139415. If you have a question regarding your appointment, please contact Alison Pinchard on 0191 2138482.
Further information
We run an annual patient forum with MPN Voice – the next is Friday 13 October 2023. See the MPN Voice website for further details.
- MPN Voice (https://www.mpnvoice.org.uk/) – National charity for patients with polycythaemia vera, essential thrombocythaemia and myelofibrosis. There are patient leaflets, online forums, educational events and information about a ‘buddy’ scheme
- CML Support (https://cmlsupport.org.uk/) – Online group with information on chronic myeloid leukaemia including leaflets and online forum
- UK Masto (https://ukmasto.org/) – Details on mastocytosis including leaflets and online forums
