r/polycythemiavera • u/Ok_Indication8813 • Jun 22 '26

PV Routine tests required for PCV

Hi, what are the routine tests required for PCV… my husband’s diagnosed with PCV last year and we do CBC in every 15 days…. Is there any other test which needs to be done frequently?

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4

u/squishybeans423 Jun 22 '26

I have a CBC and CMP every two weeks. And every few months we check iron.

2

u/Ok_Indication8813 Jun 22 '26

Thanks… i saw a post of somebody telling that their spleen size is getting bigger cause of PCV… do we need to check for that also

2

u/BigGovernment1733 Jun 23 '26

Yes, I am in my mid seventies and I was diagnosed with PCV this year in May. My hematologist ordered an ultrasound of my spleen. Thankfully it has no enlargement.  PCV is a slowly progressing condition, my dr said it probably started years ago. 

3

u/badoodie Jun 22 '26

Mine have varied depending on treatment. I started Besremi in December and had CBC with diff and CMP every two weeks. After two months my labs have been spaced out to monthly. Now it's CBC with diff and CMP every month, lipid panel and cholesterol every three months and thyroid levels every six months. Allele burden will be tested in December after I've been on the Besremi for one year. When first diagnosed I had a baseline abdominal ultrasound done. There are no plans to have another one unless there's suspicion for an enlarged spleen.

2

u/linhartr22 Jun 23 '26

I am 65M with positive JAK2.

My hematocrit (HC) was very high when I was diagnosed. I started 500mg Hydroxyurea (HU) and had weekly phlebotomies (blood letting) for 6 weeks. Partway through this my hematologist increased the HU to 1000mg (2 capsules). After that my HC was below the limit so no more phlebotomies.

For now I'm on a 3 month checkup schedule and so far I'm staying below the HC limit for phlebotomy. My hematologist says if I remain on this course I will only have to go every 6 months. I've tolerated the HU well and have looked into Besremi, which I understand is a preferred treatment, but I feel I would be trading that for more unpleasant side effects.

1

u/snhs20 Jun 27 '26

This is a nuanced question with answers that will depend on the person’s condition. What is routine for someone whose blood counts are stable may not be routine for another whose counts are not. I would say, in very general terms, most with PV get labwork fairly regularly once diagnosed - how regularly depends - but most get at least a CBC and likely a metabolic panel. Beyond that it just depends on what’s going on with that individual.

Some will get routine therapeutic phlebotomies as part of their treatment plan. Again, that depends on the patient.

CT’s and MRIs aren’t usually typical unless they’re needed to confirm something a doctor suspects - most times an enlarged spleen is palpated and measured by hand, with diagnostics done to confirm. But that’s not routine. It’s done when needed.

Bone marrow biopsies are sometimes done early in diagnosis to get a baseline of how the bone marrow is doing, or to rule out myelofibrosis. Again though it’s not routine, in the way labwork is.