Erythropoietin therapy in cancer patients.

The majority of patients with cancer become anemic during the course of their disease. This anemia appears to be due largely to a blunted erythropoietin (Epo) response and an impaired ability of the bone marrow to respond to endogenous Epo. Both are exacerbated by chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) ameliorates the anemia associated with malignancy. However, we do not yet know whether rhEpo will decrease the need for homologous blood transfusions and improve the quality of life of cancer patients. While rhEpo will greatly alter the treatment of anemia in the 1990s, its precise role in the treatment of oncology patients is still being elucidated.