Tumor hypoxia and an impact of supportive care by Erythropoietin on cencer treatment results

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Klin Onkol 2001; 14(2): 37-45.

Summary: Hypoxic regions are regular finding in tissue of malignant tumors. Hypoxia -decresion of partial pressure of oxygen - is caused by longer distance of some tumor regions from newly created capillars and by insufficiency of newly created capillar network. Various kinds of anaemia in cancer patients potentiate hypoxia in those tumors. Lack of oxygen during radiotherapy and immediately after it and during administration of certain cytostatics causes increase of resistancy of cancer tissues to the treatment methods. Hypoxia in cancer causes three groups of events:

  1. production of oxygen related proteins enhances a process of tumor metastazing
  2. genetic instability and selection of more agressive tumorous cells and more agressive behaviour of the tumor
  3. angiogenesis which enhances atumor progression.
Results of studies performed recently have shown anaemia correction by erythropoietin could improve results of radiation therapy and chemotherapy carried in both animal and human studies on head and neck cancer patients. In the review there are data given on important associations of incidence of hypoxia, anaemia, tumor behaviour, influence of hypoxia on the cancer treatment and an occassion of correction of the status by erythropoietin. Administration of erythropoietin as a supportive care in patients with anaemia during conservative oncological treatment improves results of the treatment significantly.

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