Role of epoetin in the management of anaemia in patients with lung cancer.

Lung cancer is associated with the one of the highest rates of anaemia of all solid tumours. Anaemia has a negative impact on treatment outcome and overall survival of patients with cancer and also affects their quality of life. Recombinant human erythropoietin (epoetin) provides an effective and safe treatment of cancer-related anaemia without the risks associated with red blood cell transfusion. Epoetin therapy increases haemoglobin levels, reduces the need for blood transfusions and improves the quality of life of patients with anaemia and lung cancer. Epoetin beta is also effective for preventing the development of anaemia and decreasing transfusion requirements when administered with concomitant platinum-based chemotherapy. In addition, preliminary evidence suggests that treatment with erythropoietic agents may improve survival of lung cancer patients, although this needs to be verified in prospective clinical trials specifically designed to evaluate survival. Therefore, early initiation of epoetin beta to prevent chemotherapy-associated anaemia may represent the best strategy for patients with lung cancer being treated with chemotherapy.