For the treatment of anemia caused by chemotherapy, current ASH and ASCO guidelines recommend epoetin for patients with hemoglobin counts less than 10 g/d. Epoetin is known to increase hemoglobin (Hb) levels and reduce transfusion requirements in patients with anemia. For patients with hemoglobin between 10 and 12 g/dL, a level considered moderate anemia, the recommendation is for treatment contingent on clinical judgment after in-depth evaluation. It is estimated that about 30-35% of patients with hemoglobin in this range are currently treated with epoetin, according to David J. Straus (of Memorial Sloan Kettering and Weil Medical College of Cornell University, both in New York City). Straus conducted a 16-week open-label randomized clinical trial assessing the effects of once-weekly recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO, epoetin alfa, EPO) in chemotherapy patients with lymphoma (92%), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL, 4%), or multiple myeloma (MM, 5%).
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