March 2011 (Cancer) The use of recombinant erythropoietin for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia in patients with ovarian cancer does not affect progression-free or overall survival

Abstract
BACKGROUND.

Studies have suggested that erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs) may affect progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in a variety of cancer types. Because this finding had not been explored previously in ovarian or primary peritoneal carcinoma, the authors of this report analyzed their ovarian cancer population to determine whether ESA treatment for chemotherapy-induced anemia affected PFS or OS.

CONCLUSIONS.

The current results indicated that there was no difference in cancer-related PFS or OS with use of ESA in this cohort of women treated for ovarian cancer.