ERYTHROPOIETIN USE BENEFIT AML PATIENTS

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jul 19 - Erythropoietin reduces transfusions and improves quality of life for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after chemotherapy or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), researchers say.

As reported online June 28th in Cancer, Dr. Mauricette Michallet and colleagues from Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Bénite, France evaluated the effect of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) in anemic patients after either consolidation therapy for AML in complete remission (55 patients vs. 63 matched controls) or after allogeneic HSCT (61 patients vs. 65 matched controls).

Quality of life improved significantly during the six months of follow-up in both groups of patients, and they reported a significant increase in physical well-being.

Mean hemoglobin levels at baseline did not differ between patients and controls, but ESA patients had significantly higher hemoglobin levels at hospital discharge (10.4 vs. 9.3 g/dL; p=0.0001) and six months later (11.2 vs. 10.3 g/dL; p=0.012).

Patients receiving ESAs also required fewer red blood cell transfusions compared to controls in the AML group (319 vs. 487 units; p=0.0002) and in the HSCT group (227 vs. 355 units; p=0.04). This effect translated into a median reduction in transfusion-related costs of 1,712 euros (approx. US$2,102) per patient in both treatment groups.

The number of platelet transfusions was significantly lower with ESA treatment in the AML group but not in the allogeneic HSCT group.

The incidence of thromboembolic events did not differ significantly in the ESA population and controls.

The median costs of ESA injections were 3,904 euros (about US$4,794) per AML patient and 1,862 euros (about US$2,282) per HSCT patient.

Treatment with ESA did not translate into significant differences in overall survival or event-free survival for either patient group.

"This prospective study shows a clinical and economic benefit of ESA administration, an achievement of a normal hemoglobin level, and a significant reduction of number of red blood cell transfusions as well as toxicity related to red blood cell transfusions," the researchers conclude. "ESA administration could improve a patient's quality of life with no harmful effect on survival."

Dr. Michallet did not respond to a request for comments.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/LASExO