Onkológia 6/2007

GROWTH FACTORS IN ONCOLOGY (part 2)

Anemia is a common in patients with solid tumors and hematological malignancy. Cytokine inhibition of erythropoiesis and low serum erythropoietin (EPO) levels are the common causes. Epoietin’s are a newer treatment option and are biologically equivalent to the natural hormone EPO. In response to EPO treatment, erytrocytes are produced with normal function, hemoglobin levels occures after 7 – 14 days after the initiation of treatment, and red blood cells have a normal life span. An international expert panel met to develop treatment recomendations for the use epoetins. Treatment of anemia cancer patients with EPO should be aimed to increase hemoglobin levels, to reduce or avoid the need for blood transfusion, and to improve quality of live. Given the emerging scientific understanding of central role TPO plays in the etiology of thrombocytopenia, one new direction toward developing safe and effective new treatments, may lie in improving our ability to manage the thrombopietic process. Thrombopoietic growth factors may allow a new form of therapy for ITP. This does not ameliorate the underlying disease process, but rather increase platelet production, thus allowing a higher steady-state platelet count to be obtained. Long-term therapy with AMG531 and Eltrombopag seems to be effective. Further studies are under way to assess the long-term benefit and safety in a much larger population of ITP patients.

Keywords: anemia in cancer, epoietin’s, trombopoetin’s growth factors, AMG 531, Eltrombopag