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The Oncologist, Vol. 10, No. 3, 225-237, March 2005; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.10-3-225
© 2005 AlphaMed Press

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Original Paper
Symptom Management and Supportive Care

Increased Hemoglobin Levels and Improved Quality-of-Life Assessments During Epoetin Alfa Treatment in Anemic Cancer Patients: Results of a Prospective, Multicenter German Trial

Uwe Reinhardta, Augustinos Tulusanb, Ralf Angermundc, Harald Lutza For The German Epoetin Alfa Study Group

a Medizinische Klinik I, Klinikum Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany; b Frauenklinik, Klinikum Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany; c Ortho Biotech, Neuss, Germany

Correspondence: Uwe Reinhardt, M.D., Medizinische Klinik I, Hämatologie and Onkologie, Klinikum Bayreuth, Preuschwitzer Str. 101, 95445 Bayreuth, Germany. Telephone: 49-921-400-6411; Fax: 49-921-400-6409; e-mail: UUReinhardt{at}t-online.de

This prospective, open-label, multicenter study was undertaken to determine the safety and efficacy of epoetin alfa in increasing hemoglobin levels and improving quality of life (QOL), specifically fatigue, in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy (n = 702). Epoetin alfa, 10,000 IU three times a week s.c. for 8–18 weeks, increased the mean hemoglobin level relative to baseline (1.0 ± 1.5 g/dl by week 4 and ≥1.7 g/dl from week 10 through the end of the trial), with 63.4% of patients experiencing ≥2 g/dl increases in hemoglobin above baseline at some time during the study. Fatigue is an important component of QOL. Physicians, nurses, and patients independently assessed patient fatigue level on a linear-analogue scale. Although all three groups reported improvements in patient fatigue over the course of the study (p < .0001), the magnitude of fatigue ratings and their relationship to tumor response and to hemoglobin level varied by group. Overall, epoetin alfa was well tolerated and effective in improving hemoglobin levels and decreasing fatigue in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Key Words. Anemia • Cancer • Epoetin alfa • Fatigue • Hemoglobin • Quality of life




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J. K. Carroll, S. Kohli, K. M. Mustian, J. A. Roscoe, and G. R. Morrow
Pharmacologic Treatment of Cancer-Related Fatigue
Oncologist, May 1, 2007; 12(suppl_1): 43 - 51.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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