INCREASED AUTOLOGOUS BLOOD DONATION IN RECTAL-CANCER BY RECOMBINANT-HUMAN-ERYTHROPOIETIN (RHEPO)

A randomised, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to study whether the subcutaneous administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (r hEPO) increases the donated red cell blood volume in patients with rec tal cancer. Patients with resectable rectal cancer and a haemoglobin ( Hb) level greater than or equal to 12.5/> 12 g/dl (males/females) were scheduled to receive pre-operatively either erythropoietin (200 U/kg body weight daily) (n = 28) or placebo (n = 26) subcutaneously for 11 days. During this period autologous blood was collected. No serious ad verse events were attributed to erythropoietin. 20 of 28 patients trea ted with rhEPO were able to donate greater than or equal to 3 units (7 1%) compared with 11 of 26 control patients (42%). The mean cumulative volume of red cells donated was 29% higher in the patients who receiv ed rhEPO (571 versus 444 ml, P = 0.02). The change in the mean reticul ocyte value from baseline to the last pre-operative value was signific antly higher in the rhEPO group (10.4 to 61.6% versus 11.0 to 20.1%, P = 0.0001). The fall in the mean haematocrit from baseline to the last pre-operative value was significantly lower in the rhEPO group (41.4 to 37.6% versus 41.8 to 34.8%, P = 0.0004). rhEPO increases the abilit y of cancer patients to donate autologous blood during a short pre-ope rative period and enhances the restoration of haematological values af ter the donation period. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights res erved.