19582 Background: The efficacy of epoetin beta (E) is well documented in clinical trials in anemic cancer patients (pts). This study was conducted to assess E use, efficacy, safety and effect on quality of life in cancer pts, in usual practice. Methods: This prospective, multicenter, longitudinal, observational French study assessed a 4-month follow-up of informed consent cancer pts (including both solid tumors (ST) and hematological malignancies (H)) treated with E for chemotherapy-related anemia. Data were collected between January 2005 and March 2006. Results: Among 3100 pts enrolled by 423 specialists, 2810 were analysed. Pts’ characteristics were: mean age 63±13 yrs, male 50%, performance status 0 (13%), 1 (46%), =2 (41%). 74% of pts suffered from a ST and 26% from a H. The most frequent cancer types were lung (22%), breast (15%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (12%), colon (9%), multiple myeloma (7%), ovary (7%), prostate (3%), head and neck (3%) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (3%). The mean time from diagnosis to inclusion was 2 yrs. 52% of pts received their first line of chemotherapy, 25% their second one. 55% and 10% of ST and H pts received platinum based regimen, respectively. At inclusion, hemoglobin levels were distributed as follows: < 9 g/dl (ST 14%, H 32%), [9–11 [g/dl (ST 70%, H 56%), [11–13 [g/dl (ST 16%, H 11%). Regarding pre-treatment biological tests, endogenous erythropoietin rate was controlled for only 3% of pts (ST 1% and H 7%, median 37 IU/ml [0; 388]), ferritin was available for 15% of pts (ST 11% and H 28%), transferrin saturation for 12% of pts (ST 10% and H 17%) and reticulocytes for 11% of pts (ST 7% and H 24%). At initiation, pts received a median dose of 30000 U/week of E on a once weekly regimen schedule for 98% of pts. E was associated with iron supplementation in 49% and 13% of ST and H pts, and with blood transfusion in 5% and 15% of ST and H pts. Conclusion: These preliminary results describe baseline characteristics of cancer patients treated with epoetin beta. The study suggests very few biological controls before initiation of E in routine practice. Final analyses of hemoglobin evolution and quality of life will be presented. [Table: see text]
