Anemia of cancer patients: patient selection and patient stratification for epoetin treatment.
Epoetin alfa is being used to treat patients with symptomatic anemia of cancer and to prevent or postpone chemotherapy-induced anemia in cancer treatment. As only approximately 50% of unselected anemic cancer patients respond sufficiently to epoetin alfa treatment, careful patient selection according to reliable prediction criteria is of great importance. Predictions of response to epoetin alfa treatment are based either on the degree of blunted erythropoietin response to the anemic condition or on indicators of responsiveness during the early treatment phase. The most accurate predictions of responsiveness, however, are derived from combinations of predictive factors. Combinations of synergistically acting hematopoietic growth factors, particularly epoetin alfa and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, are beneficial to selected patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and may prolong survival in certain cases. Correction of anemia in cancer patients is particularly important because highly significant correlations have been reported between hemoglobin levels and quality of life in these patients.
First Department of Medicine and Medical Oncology, Wilhelminenspital, Vienna, Austria.
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H
Ludwig
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E
Fritz
D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006397:Hematinics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D018579:Patient Selection; D011788:Quality of Life; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D006397:Hematinics; D006454:Hemoglobins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa