Recombinant erythropoietin beta enhances growth of xenografted human squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck after surgical trauma.

CONCLUSION

Treatment of anaemia with recombinant human erythropoietin beta (rHuEpo) in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) undergoing curative radiotherapy does not improve cancer control. In fact, incompletely resected patients with HNSCC receiving radiation in combination with rHuEpo showed poorer loco-regional progression-free survival than patients receiving radiation in combination with placebo. It could be hypothesized that the effects of rHuEpo on tumour cell growth might only be manifested in vivo and after cell trauma, and that treating anaemia with rHuEpo might contribute to poor outcome after incomplete surgical resection.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of rHuEpo alone and in combination with surgical trauma on the growth of human squamous cell carcinoma in vivo, xenografted onto nude mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The surgical trauma was inflicted through subcutaneous transection of the tumour with a needle. Immunohistochemical staining verified expression of the EPO receptor in tumour cells.

RESULTS

rHuEpo alone had no effect on the growth of xenografted HNSCC. However, a significant increase in tumour growth was observed after surgical trauma in combination with rHuEpo compared with surgery alone (p = 0.0008).