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Chemo Bleeding Risk Cut by Approved Drug
17 Mar
Summary
- Romiplostim significantly reduces chemotherapy-induced bleeding risk.
- Drug allows full-dose chemotherapy on schedule.
- Study involved 165 patients with advanced cancers.
A drug already in use, romiplostim (Nplate), has demonstrated its ability to shield cancer patients from severe bleeding complications associated with chemotherapy. This critical advancement addresses chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia, a condition where chemotherapy damages bone marrow cells responsible for producing platelets, thereby increasing the risk of dangerous hemorrhaging.
Researchers reported that romiplostim effectively prevents this side effect by enhancing the bone marrow's resilience to chemotherapy. This finding is significant because there are currently no approved medications specifically for chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia. Previously, doctors often had to reduce or delay chemotherapy to manage bleeding risks, a strategy known to potentially worsen cancer treatment outcomes and reduce survival rates.
The injectable medication, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2008, was tested in a study involving 165 patients with advanced colon, gastroesophageal, and pancreatic cancers. The results indicated that patients receiving romiplostim experienced more than a tenfold reduction in the likelihood of needing their chemotherapy dose altered due to thrombocytopenia. Specifically, 84% of romiplostim recipients completed their treatment without dose modifications, compared to 36% of those on a placebo. Common side effects like nausea and headache were manageable, and more serious adverse events in romiplostim patients were attributed mainly to the higher chemotherapy doses they could receive.
