Efficacy of Darbepoetin Alfa in the Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Abstract

Background: Patients receiving chemotherapy often experience chemotherapy-induced anemia, which contributes to a significant reduction in their quality of life. This exploratory analysis assessed the efficacy, dosing, and safety of darbepoetin alfa administered every 2 weeks to a subset of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chemotherapy-induced anemia who were enrolled in 2 large, multicenter, open-label, community-based studies: the Successful Outcomes in Anemia Research (SOAR) trial and the Study to Understand and Reduce Patients' Anemia Symptom Severity (SURPASS).

Patients and methods: Eligible patients were receiving multicycle chemotherapy and were anemic, with hemoglobin levels </= 11 g/dL. Patients received darbepoetin alfa 3 squareg/kg every 2 weeks (SOAR; n = 114) or 200 squareg every 2 weeks (SURPASS; n = 165). Hemoglobin levels were measured every 2 weeks, and quality of life assessments were recorded at baseline and the end of the study using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue (FACT-F) scale. This analysis includes patients who received >/= 1 dose of darbepoetin alfa.

Results: By week 17, 77% of patients in SOAR (95% confidence interval, 68%-84%) and 82% of patients in SURPASS (95% confidence interval, 76%-88%) exhibited the target hemoglobin range (11-13 g/dL). Both every-2-week dosing regimens reduced the percentage of patients who required >/= 1 red blood cell transfusion by 2.5-fold during each study. Increases in hemoglobin levels were associated with improvements in FACT-F, with similar mean changes in FACT-F scores in both studies: 6.2 points for SOAR and 6.1 points for SURPASS.

Conclusion: Darbepoetin alfa administered every 2 weeks in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chemotherapy-induced anemia appeared equally effective and well tolerated when given as a weight-based or a fixed dose.