Darbepoetin alfa administered once every three weeks for the treatment of anemia in elderly patients with non-myeloid tumors receiving chemotherapy.

Aims And Background: The present study aims to describe the hematological response to darbepoetin alfa (DA) under daily clinical practice conditions in anemic elderly patients with non-myeloid tumors receiving chemotherapy.

Methods And Study Design: This was a prospective, observational, multicenter study in elderly (≥65 years) patients with non-myeloid cancer receiving DA (500 μg every 3 weeks) for chemotherapy-induced anemia (hemoglobin [Hb] level ≤11.0 g/dL).

Results: A total of 102 anemic patients with solid tumors and 51 with hematological malignancies were included in 28 centers in Spain. Mean age (±SD) was 73.4 (±5.8) years, and mean baseline Hb level was 10.0 (±0.8) g/dL. DA was administered for a median of 8 weeks. Of the 115 subjects with a post-baseline Hb value, the percentage of patients who achieved a hematopoietic response (Hb increase ≥2 g/dL or reaching ≥12 g/dL without transfusions in the previous 28 days) was 69.7% (95% CI 56.1% to 83.3%). Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue subscale scores increased during the study (median change 1.0 [Q1 -5.0, Q3 9.0], P = 0.04). One patient (0.7%) experienced a non-serious adverse reaction (cutaneous rash).

Conclusion: The study results suggest that DA is an effective and well-tolerated therapy for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia in elderly patients.