Wiley, European Journal of Haematology, 4(110), p. 354-361, 2022
DOI: 10.1111/ejh.13910
Full text: Unavailable
AbstractObjectivesErythropoiesis‐stimulating agents (ESA) have an established role in treating anemia in hematological malignancies. However, their role, particularly biosimilar ESA (B‐ESA), in myelofibrosis (MF) is not well established.MethodsThis study retrospectively collected data on 96 MF patients treated with B‐ESA (alpha/zeta) for the management of anemia to assess safety, efficacy (anemia response [AR]), and survival.ResultsSeventy‐seven patients (80%) obtained AR. The median time to AR was 2.5 months. In multivariate analysis, significant predictive factors of AR were transfusion independency (p = .006) and ferritin levels <200 ng/ml (p = .009) at baseline. After a median follow‐up of 43.8 months from diagnosis, 38 patients (39%) died, 11 (28.9%) from leukemic evolution. Only two patients (2.5%) stopped B‐ESA for toxicity. The 24‐month survival was significantly affected by response to B‐ESA (70.8% in AR vs. 55.3% in non‐responder patients, p = .016). In multivariate analysis, age ≤ 70 years (p = .029) and Hb > 8.5 g/dl (p = .047) at baseline were significantly associated with improved survival, with a trend for longer survival in AR patients (p = .06).ConclusionsB‐ESA seems to be an effective and well‐tolerated option for anemia treatment in the MF setting. This strategy deserves further clinical investigation.