Optimizing the dose and schedule of darbepoetin alfa in patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia.

Chemotherapy-induced anemia is common in patients who have cancer. Erythropoiesis-stimulating proteins such as epoetin alfa (Procrit) and darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp) have been shown to improve hematologic and clinical outcomes in these patients. Darbepoetin alfa has a longer serum half-life than epoetin alfa, making less frequent administration possible and offering the possibility of synchronizing the administration of erythropoietic therapy and chemotherapy. Several clinical trials have evaluated the utility of darbepoetin alfa given every 3 weeks (q3wk) in patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia. An exploratory study showed that darbepoetin alfa q3wk stabilized hemoglobin levels and reduced transfusion requirements. It was also shown that giving darbepoetin alfa q3wk at the same time as the chemotherapy produced hematopoietic benefits similar to those observed when it is given later in the chemotherapy cycle. The q3wk dosing schedule was effective in patients with mild and moderate anemia, and treatment goals were achieved in most of them. The equivalence of q3wk and qwk darbepoetin alfa has also been established. Synchronous administration of darbepoetin alfa with chemotherapy is a convenient option for patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia, with clinical trials showing it to be an effective treatment strategy.