This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Save to my personal folders Download to citation manager Rights & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bleyer, A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Bleyer, A. Social Bookmarking                            What's this?

Epoetin Versus Darbepoetin Conundrum Compromise

Cancer Treatment Center, St Charles Medical Center, Bend, Oregon

To the Editor:

The May 20, 2006, issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology includes a report by Glaspy et al¹ of the largest randomized study of erythropoietic agents in cancer-associated anemia and an editorial by Steensma et al² that identifies this attribute of the report. The report claims that an every-other-week regimen of darbepoetin alfa is as safe and effective as a weekly regimen of epoeitin alfa when used for 4 months as treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia. The editorial recognizes that despite lack of statistical significance, there are differences in the data and clinical considerations to consider applying one regimen over the other. Neither the report nor the editorial discuss a compromise of using both agents, as in weekly epoetin for 5 weeks and darbepoetin every other week thereafter. Would this not allow for both more rapid hemoglobin elevation and the advantages of every other week administration for most of the total treatment interval, including potentially fewer red cell transfusions? According to data in the report and implied comment in the editorial, any advantage to the weekly regimen occurred within 5 weeks of starting therapy.

Author's Disclosures of Potential Conflicts of Interest

The author indicated no potential conflicts of interest.

REFERENCES

1. Glaspy J, Vadhan-Raj S, Patel R, et al: Randomized comparison of every-2-weeks darbepoetin alfa and weekly epoetin alfa for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia: The 20030125 Study Group trial. J Clin Oncol 24:2290-2297, 2006[Abstract/Free Full Text]

2. Steensma DP, Loprinzi CL: Epoetin alfa and darbepoetin alfa go head to head. J Clin Oncol 24:2233-2236, 2006[Free Full Text]

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Save to my personal folders Download to citation manager Rights & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bleyer, A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Bleyer, A. Social Bookmarking                            What's this?