Results from a newly published class review of epoetins (alfa and beta epoetin), confirmed their effect with cancer related anaemia and showed significant overall survival benefits.
The results are particularly striking in patients with solid
tumours
The results, published by The Cochrane Collaboration, are particularly striking in patients with solid tumours (e.g. breast, lung and bowel) where risk of death decreased by 51 per cent in those patients whose anaemia was managed by epoetins whilst on chemotherapy.
In a second study - in fact, a review of nine studies presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (31st October) - epoetin beta was shown to reduce the risk of tumour progression in patients with anaemia.
Nineteen studies including 2865 randomised patients were reviewed. Chris Poole, senior lecturer in Medical Oncology at Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital described this as a genuinely exciting advance.