Mar Fan, H.G., Park, A., Xu, W., Yi, Q-L., Braganza, S., Chang, J., . . . & Tannock, I.F. (2009). The influence of erythropoietin on cognitive function in women following chemotherapy for breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 18(2), 156–161.
The study was conducted to investigate post-hoc the potential impact of erythropoietin on cognitive function following chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Patients were randomized when their hemoglobin (Hgb) level decreased to ≤ 12 g/dL. Depending on the remaining duration of chemotherapy, erythropoietin was administered for a period of time between 16 or 28 weeks. Patients were randomized to receive either 40,000 units of erythropoietin weekly or the standard of care.
This multi-site study took place in Canada.
The study was a randomized, controlled trial.
Participants showed no improvement in cognitive function or fatigue, as measured by the HSCS or HVLT-R. There was reported improvement in quality of life.
The study failed to demonstrate a protective effect of erythropoietin on cognitive dysfunction after chemotherapy in survivors of breast cancer.