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Nature Medicine 9, 1439 (2003)
doi:10.1038/nm1203-1439

Erythropoietin may impair, not improve, cancer survival

Vicki Brower1

  1. New York

Erythropoietin (EPO), a drug commonly given to cancer patients to alleviate fatigue, may shorten survival in cancer patients and might in fact fuel tumor growth, a growing body of evidence suggests. Results from two clinical trials and various other studies could radically transform the current practice of prescribing the blockbuster drug for cancer-related anemia.