Anemia Drugs Increases Risk of Blood Clots And Death In Cancer Patients, Study Shows
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association said that treating cancer patients with anemia drugs increased the risk of blood clots in the lungs and legs by 57 percent. Dr. Charles Bennet of Northwestern University in Chicago raised the concern that ESAs drugs or erythropoiesis-stimulating-ag ents may be stimulating cancer and shortening cancer patient's survival.
ESAs are man-made versions of a human hormone called erythropoietin. The drugs work by stimulating production of oxygen carrying red blood cells. ESAs were first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2003 as a treatment for anemic cancer patients to avoid blood transfusions.
The study used data from 51 clinical trials with 13,611 patients who were treated with ESAs or a placebo. It updates s study presentation made by Dr. Bennett to the American Society of Clinical Oncology in June which includes data up to Jan. 17, 2008.
"The current FDA recommendation is these drugs are safe for cancer patients as long as their hemoglobin levels aren't raised too high. Our data do not support that," Bennett said.
ESAs are man-made versions of a human hormone called erythropoietin. The drugs work by stimulating production of oxygen carrying red blood cells. ESAs were first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2003 as a treatment for anemic cancer patients to avoid blood transfusions.
The study used data from 51 clinical trials with 13,611 patients who were treated with ESAs or a placebo. It updates s study presentation made by Dr. Bennett to the American Society of Clinical Oncology in June which includes data up to Jan. 17, 2008.
"The current FDA recommendation is these drugs are safe for cancer patients as long as their hemoglobin levels aren't raised too high. Our data do not support that," Bennett said.
