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Erythropoietin is used to treat anemia and improve quality of life in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. However, erythropoietin has been associated with decreased survival in several recent cancer treatment trials. Now, another study raises concern.
Canadian researchers randomized patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and hemoglobin levels of 12 g/dL or lower to receive erythropoietin or placebo (target hemoglobin, 12–14 g/dL). Patients did not receive chemotherapy during the trial, although 23% had received it previously. After 70 patients had enrolled, the trial was interrupted when significantly decreased survival was noted in the erythropoietin group compared with the placebo group (median survival, 63 vs. 129 days). Ne…