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Overview of Cancer‐Related Anemia: Focus on the Potential Role of Darbepoetin alfa
Author(s) -
Valley Amy W.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
pharmacotherapy: the journal of human pharmacology and drug therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.227
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1875-9114
pISSN - 0277-0008
DOI - 10.1592/phco.22.14.150s.33400
Subject(s) - darbepoetin alfa , anemia , erythropoietin , medicine , epoetin alfa , cancer , dosing , hemoglobin , disease , quality of life (healthcare) , oncology , nursing
Cancer‐associated anemia is common and has many causes, including the effects of the underlying disease and cancer treatment. The effect of anemia on patients with cancer was not appreciated fully until relatively recently. Several well‐designed studies have demonstrated the relationship between anemia and fatigue, and the effect of fatigue on quality of life. These data have resulted in a greater awareness of anemia in cancer and have increased the use of recombinant human erythropoietin (r‐HuEPO, epoetin alfa) therapy for the treatment of anemia. Recombinant HuEPO produces a hemoglobin response in 50–60% of patients with cancer; however, to obtain this response rate, frequent dosing is required. Darbepoetin alfa, a recently developed erythropoietic protein, has a longer half‐life than that of r‐HuEPO, enabling less frequent dosing, and has a greater in vivo activity. In studies of patients with cancer who develop anemia, darbepoetin alfa has proved to be well tolerated and effective, and its advantages make it a potential improved treatment option for anemia in these patients.