• Nicolas Janus, Florian Scotte, Jean-Baptiste Rey, Sabine Amet, Laurence Rouillon, Lorraine Zakin, Lamine Mahi, Gilbert Deray, and Vincent Launay-Vacher.
• Service ICAR, Department of Nephrology, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpétrière, 47-83 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013, Paris, France, nicolas.janus@psl.aphp.fr.
• Support Care Cancer. 2013 Oct 1; 21 (10): 2743-8.

PurposeImplantable central venous access port (portacath) is used to provide long-term venous access and to deliver chemotherapy in cancer patients. Intravenous iron complexes are frequently prescribed in this setting, and some physicians use a portacath for their administration. The aim of this survey was to assess the frequency of this practice and the reasons supporting it.MethodsThis declarative survey was conducted in France; 497 oncologists/hematologists were contacted to answer a survey on their practices regarding the administration of intravenous iron via a portacath.ResultsA total of 141 recipients (29.5 %) completed the questionnaire. The intravenous iron complexes most frequently used were iron sucrose and ferric carboxymaltose, and 55.2 % of the responders reported using a portacath to administer intravenous iron complexes. The main reasons mentioned for this practice were ease of administration (27.9 %) and preservation of venous capital (27.6 %). The main reasons reported for not using a portacath to administer intravenous iron were a history of thrombosis (45.1 %) or potential drug interactions (17.7 %). Efficacy and safety were expected to be similar to those observed with peripheral administration. A 47.6 % of physicians declared that they usually did not observe adverse reactions after use of a portacath for iron administration. Intravenous iron administration was always planned after chemotherapy for 46.6 % of the responders and before chemotherapy for 38.2 %, whereas 15.3 % did not have any preference for either option.ConclusionsIntravenous iron complexes (mainly iron sucrose and ferric carboxymaltose) are commonly administered through a portacath in cancer patients in France. The choice for this route of administration is supported by clinical considerations, but further studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of this practice.

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