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Anemia in Stage II and III Breast Cancer Patients Treated With Adjuvant Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide Chemotherapy

^a Hematology-Oncology Associates of Central New York, East Syracuse, New York, USA; ^b Clinical Operations and Medical Affairs, Abt Associates Clinical Trials, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; ^c AMF Consulting, Inc., Los Angeles, California, USA; ^d Medical Affairs, Pharmacoeconomics, Amgen, Inc. Thousand Oaks, California, USA

Correspondence: Jeffrey Kirshner, M.D., Hematology-Oncology Associates of Central New York, P.C., 5008 Brittonfield Parkway, East Syracuse, New York 13057, USA. Telephone: 315-472-7504; Fax: 315-479-9639; e-mail: Jkirshner{at}Hoacny.com

Purpose. The incidence and severity of prechemotherapy anemia and chemotherapy-induced anemia experienced by women treated with adjuvant doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC) therapy for stage II and III breast cancer are described.

Patients and Methods. Medical charts of 310 breast cancer patients who received chemotherapy at eight oncology practices during 1997 through 2001 were reviewed in this historical case series study. Prechemotherapy anemia was defined as a baseline hemoglobin value <12 g/dl. An anemic event during chemotherapy (used to define chemotherapy-induced anemia) was defined as either a drop in hemoglobin level below the threshold (10 g/dl), the receipt of a blood transfusion(s), or treatment with epoetin alfa.

Results. Overall, 40.0% of patients experienced moderate to severe anemia (i.e., their hemoglobin levels dropped to <10 g/dl) and 31.3% (97/310) were anemic prechemotherapy. Of the patients with mild anemia prechemotherapy, 61.9% developed moderate to severe anemia during chemotherapy. Only 47.4% (46/97) of those patients received epoetin alfa therapy during chemotherapy. Of the patients with normal prechemotherapy hemoglobin levels (12 g/dl), 88.3% developed some degree of anemia (<12 g/dl) during chemotherapy and 27.7% (59/213) developed moderate to severe anemia (<10 g/dl). Anemic events were experienced by 41.8% (89/213) of the patients with normal prechemotherapy hemoglobin levels.

Conclusions. We conclude that a significant proportion (31.3%) of stage II and III breast cancer patients are anemic prechemotherapy and that the incidence of anemia increases substantially from prechemotherapy through the postchemotherapy period. This evidence appears to warrant earlier evaluation of anemia and an intervention in the prechemotherapy stage.

Key Words. Anemia • Breast cancer • Chemotherapy • Erythropoietin

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