Influence of erythropoietin on transfusion requirements in patients receiving preoperative chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer

Abstract

The data showed that use of erythropoietin during preoperative therapy can prevent the decline in hemoglobin that commonly occurs during therapy. Further, this was not associated with adverse events and significantly decreased the need for perioperative blood transfusions. This suggests that the use of erythropoietin in support of a preoperative chemoradiotherapy regimen for patients with rectal cancer is safe and should be considered. Whether such transfusion avoidance will translate into a survival benefit in this setting will require a large, prospective, clinical trial.

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