Subcutaneous recombinant-human-erythropoietin prevents chemotherapy-related anemia in patients with advanced cancer.
Nineteen patients with advanced cancer were randomly allocated to receive: (i) rhEpo 150 UI/kg subcutanously three times/week starting 24 hours after the completion of cisplatin- or carboplatin-based chemotherapy; or (ii) normal saline. There were 17 patients with advanced head and neck carcinoma and 2 patients with small cell lung cancer. Patients were monitored for hemoglobin level, hematocrit, WBC, PLT and reticulocytes. Patients who received rhEpo overall showed a 7.2 +/- 6.3% mean increase in Hb level over their pretreatment values, while control patients had a 26.4 +/- 12% decrease. This difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). No patients in the rhEpo group required transfusion, while 4 patients in the control group received packed red cell transfusion. No significant side-effects attributable to rhEpo were recorded, but 1 patient showed a transitory increase in PLT count. In conclusion, subcutaneous rhEpo may be safely administered to patients with advanced cancer and effectively prevents cisplatin- or carboplatin-related anemia.