Objectives: To determine whether the response to recombinant erythropoietin is dose dependent in men undergoing radical prostatectomy and to elucidate the relative cost-effectiveness of two dosing regimens.
Methods: A prospective, open-label study comparing the effectiveness, cost, and safety of two different doses of recombinant erythropoietin was performed in men undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy. The first 100 men received 600 IU/kg (high dose) of epoetin alfa. A second group of 100 men received 300 IU/kg (low dose). All men received two doses of erythropoietin on preoperative days 14 and 7, provided their baseline hematocrit levels were less than 48%. Hematocrit levels were measured at baseline (more than 14 days before surgery), at the time of anesthesia induction, in the recovery room postoperatively, on the first postoperative day, and on the morning of discharge.
Results: The mean increase in hematocrit from baseline to induction for the high and low-dose groups was 4.50 and 4.69, respectively (P = 0.7225). Six men (6%) in the high-dose group and seven (7%) in the low-dose group required allogenic blood transfusions. The mean cost of high and low-dose epoetin alfa was $1218 and $656, respectively. The cost per percentage point increase in hematocrit in the low-dose group was significantly less than in the high-dose group. No thromboembolic events occurred in the high or low-dose group.
Conclusions: In men undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy, the administration of epoetin alfa on preoperative days 14 and 7 was a safe and effective treatment strategy for reducing the risk of allogenic blood transfusions. The 300 IU/kg dosing regimen was significantly more cost effective than the 600 IU/kg dosing regimen.