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Anemia is common after myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), and erythropoietin (EPO) levels are inappropriately low for the degree of anemia. Treatment with exogenously administered recombinant human EPO (rhEPO) has not been very effective, possibly because it has been given before sufficient time has elapsed for marrow recovery.
To examine whether delaying the start of rhEPO would increase hemoglobin levels and result in fewer transfusions, investigators in Belgium randomized 119 patients to receive no treatment (control group) or rhEPO (500 U/kg once per week for up to 16 weeks, with a target hemoglobin of 13 g/dL). Treated patients were stratified into three cohorts: myeloablative (M) HCT patients receiving r…