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Use Anemia Drugs for Cancer Patients With Caution, Experts Say
Posted 26 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Oct. 26 – Physicians need to use caution when giving a class of drugs called erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) to cancer patients who have anemia caused by chemotherapy, according to new medical guidelines. And with rare exceptions, ESAs should not be given to cancer patients who are not receiving chemotherapy, according to joint guidelines issued by the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. ESAs (marketed as Procrit, Epogen and Aranesp) stimulate the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells but are associated with shorter survival and increased risk of blood clots and tumor progression, the guidelines noted. However, ESAs reduce the need for red blood cell transfusions, which carry a risk of serious infection and adverse reactions in the immune system. The guidelines offer specific recommendations on the use of ESAs. Among ... Read more
Related support groups: Aranesp, Epogen, Procrit, Mircera, Darbepoetin Alfa, Epoetin Beta-Methoxy Polyethylene Glycol, Anemia - Chemotherapy Induced, Epoetin Alfa