Anemia, or red blood cell deficiency, is a common side effect of many chemotherapy drugs.

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are drugs that are used to stimulate the production of red blood cells, and they are sometimes used in cancer patients to prevent or treat anemia. While ESAs reduce anemia in cancer patients and may improve their quality of life, a meta-analysis published in the May 2, 2009 issue of Lancet shows that treatment with ESAs decreases overall survival.

Investigators analyzed data from 53 clinical trials involving a total 13,933 cancer patients in order to compare the use of either red blood cell transfusions alone or transfusions in combination with ESAs for the prevention or treatment of anemia. They found ESAs increased the risk of death among all cancer patients by 17% during the active study period and also worsened overall survival for patients who continued to be followed after the active study period. When the investigators limited their analysis to cancer patients who were undergoing chemotherapy, they found that ESAs increased mortality risk by 10%.

Based on these findings, cancer patients and their healthcare providers are again reminded of the importance of balancing the potential risks and benefits of ESAs prior to initiating therapy.

Source:

Lancet. 2009;373:1532-1542.