Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
A randomized trial comparing immediate versus delayed treatment of anemia with once-weekly epoetin alfa in patients with non-small cell lung cancer scheduled to receive first-line chemotherapy.
This study evaluated the safety/efficacy of once-weekly (QW) epoetin alfa measured by quality of life (QOL), hemoglobin (Hb), transfusion incidence, tumor response, and survival in patients with chemotherapy-naïve, advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ⋯ Epoetin alfa in subcutaneous doses of 40,000 U QW, given immediately at chemotherapy initiation for advanced NSCLC, was well tolerated, and it effectively maintained Hb, leading to a reduced transfusion incidence versus delayed epoetin alfa. Overall QOL scores were higher than typical in this population, decreasing slightly during treatment in both groups. Overall survival was similar between groups, with no evidence of a negative effect by early epoetin alfa intervention.