Impact of epoetin alfa in chemotherapy-associated anemia.

Anemia associated with cancer and cytotoxic chemotherapy contributes adversely to the quality of life (QOL) of these patients. RBC transfusions have been the traditional treatment, but due to the associated risks, they are not routinely used to treat mild and moderate degrees of anemia Therapy with recombinant human erythropoietin ([EPO] epoetin alfa) in these patients has been effective for both prevention and treatment of anemia, and in decreasing transfusion requirements. More importantly, studies have shown that the addition of epoetin alfa therapy to the treatment of patients receiving cancer chemotherapy is associated with a significant increase in energy level, functional status, and overall QOL. Further studies will be required to define the most efficient and cost-effective dose and schedule of epoetin alfa during cancer chemotherapy, so that its benefits will be available to as many patients as possible. The most important studies will be focused on defining the relationship of dose to response, identifying early predictors of response, and determining cost-effectiveness.