New guideline from ASH and ASCO recommends caution regarding ESA use in cancer patients
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - 06:30
in Health & Medicine
An updated joint guideline by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) advises physicians about the appropriate use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), a class of drugs that stimulate the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells, to treat cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced anaemia. While the guideline cautions that ESAs are associated with shorter survival and increased risk of thromboembolism - blood clots - and tumour progression, it also recognises their major benefit of reducing the need for red blood cell transfusions, which can potentially cause serious infections and adverse reactions in the immune system...