Pretreatment normalization of mild anemia with epoetin alfa predicts long-term outcome for women with epithelial ovarian cancer

5132 Background: In a previous study (Marinaccio et al. Proc.ASCO 2003;Abstr1952) we assumed that pretreatment normalization of mild anemia with epoetin alfa could improve the outcome in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. The aim of this larger trial was to understand better the influence of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) on the outcome of ovarian cancer patients showing anemia before undergoing surgery and chemotherapy. Methods: Between 1999 and 2003, 42 patients with mild anemia (Hgb 10.6–11.9 g/dL) secondary to advanced epithelial ovarian cancer were randomized to receive epoetin alfa (21 pts.) or not (21 pts.) before primary surgery. All patients were without past or present second malignancy and aged less than 76 years. FIGO stage at diagnosis was as follows: IC 13/42; II 5/42; III 19/42; IV 5/42. After surgery all patients underwent adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel (175mg/mq) plus carboplatin (AUC5). Patients in the treatment group were administered rHuEPO, 10.000 IU, three tim...