Reactivation of tuberculosis following ruxolitinib therapy for primary myelofibrosis: Case series and literature review

Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a subtype of BCR-ABL1 negative myeloproliferative neoplasm. Its characteristic features include clonal myeloproliferation, dysregulation of kinase signaling pathway, abnormal release of cytokines leading to fibrosis in the bone marrow, osteosclerosis, and extramedullary hematopoiesis. Approximately 20% of deaths occur because of disease progression, but death may also result occur because of cardiovascular complications or as a consequence of either infection or bleeding. The only and curative option for PMF is allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT); however, the Janus kinase (JAK) 1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib is highly effective in reducing constitutional symptoms and spleen volume, and has been found to improve survival. Ruxolitinib decreases the activity of type I T-helper cells, leading to decreased release of cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL- 6, interferon-γ, and production of IL-12, which can be a risk factor for opportunistic infections. In this report, we describe three cases of tuberculosis reactivation shortly after initiation of ruxolitinib therapy followed by a literature review.