Response to recombinant erythropoietin alpha, without the adjunct of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, is associated with a longer survival in patients with transfusion-dependent myelodysplastic syndromes.
This was a retrospective, comparative study focused on the extended follow-up of 192 transfusion-dependent patients with myelodysplastic syndromes treated (n. 83) or not treated (n. 109) with recombinant erythropoietin alpha (r-EPO) as single agent during the course of their disease. The results supported the safety of this treatment in the long term and also showed a significant survival advantage (median 52 months vs. 31 months, p<0.0095) in responding patients as compared to non-responding ones or to subjects never treated with r-EPO. At multivariate analysis, response to r-EPO maintained an independent prognostic value on OS.
Musto
Pellegrino
P
Department of Onco-Hematology, Unit of Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation, IRCCS, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata", Via Padre Pio 1, 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Pz, Italy. p.musto@tin.it
Villani
Oreste
O
Martorelli
Maria Carmen
MC
Pietrantuono
Giuseppe
G
Guariglia
Roberto
R
Mansueto
Giovanna
G
D'Auria
Fiorella
F
Grieco
Vitina
V
Bianchino
Gabriella
G
Sparano
Anna
A
Zonno
Antonia
A
Lerose
Rosa
R
Sanpaolo
Grazia
G
Falcone
Antonietta
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor