Epoetin Alfa is a man made drug that treats anemia. It stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. Chemotherapy can cause the levels of red blood cells to drop which in turn can cause anemia. Anemia occurs when the level of healthy red blood cells in the blood becomes too low. This can lead to health problems since red blood cells carry hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to the tissues of the body. Anemia can cause a variety of complications, including fatigue and stress on bodily organs.
A study was done that showed that if oncologists gave the drug before the levels were to drop the patients had better quality of life after receiving chemotherapy. Patients with hematologic malignancies seemed to have a better sense of wellbeing and less fatigue if they received epoetin alfa before chemotherapy starts. The study was published in the October 15th issue of Cancer.
