Considerations for Use of Hematopoietic Growth Factors in Patients With Cancer Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Overview

Journal J Natl Compr Canc Netw

Specialty Oncology

Date 2020 Sep 2

PMID 32871558

Citations 17

Authors

Elizabeth A Griffiths

Laura M Alwan

Kimo Bachiashvili

Anna Brown

Rita Cool

Peter Curtin

Mark B Geyer

Ivana Gojo

Avyakta Kallam

Wajih Z Kidwai

Dwight D Kloth

Eric H Kraut

Gary H Lyman

Sudipto Mukherjee

Lia E Perez

Rachel P Rosovsky

Vivek Roy

Hope S Rugo

Sumithira Vasu

Martha Wadleigh

Peter Westervelt

Pamela S Becker

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Hematopoietic growth factors, including erythrocyte stimulating agents (ESAs), granulocyte colony-stimulating factors, and thrombopoietin mimetics, can mitigate anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia resulting from chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer. In the context of pandemic SARS-CoV-2 infection, patients with cancer have been identified as a group at high risk of morbidity and mortality from this infection. Our subcommittee of the NCCN Hematopoietic Growth Factors Panel convened a voluntary group to review the potential value of expanded use of such growth factors in the current high-risk environment. Although recommendations are available on the NCCN website in the COVID-19 Resources Section (https://www.nccn.org/covid-19/), these suggestions are provided without substantial context or reference. Herein we review the rationale and data underlying the suggested alterations to the use of hematopoietic growth factors for patients with cancer in the COVID-19 era.

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