Combination with intravenous iron supplementation or doubling erythropoietin dose for patients with chemotherapy-induced anaemia inadequately responsive to initial erythropoietin treatment alone: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Introduction: Erythropoietin (EPO) is a commonly used option in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced anaemia (CIA). However, similar to 30-50% of patients fail to achieve an adequate response after initial treatment. Prior studies have demonstrated that intravenous iron might synergistically improve therapeutic response to EPO treatment in this patient population. Methods and analysis: We will perform this multicentre, randomised, open-label, parallel-group, active controlled non-inferiority study to compare the two combination therapies of EPO plus intravenous iron regimen versus doubling the dose of EPO in patients with CIA who have an inadequate response to initial EPO treatment at a routine dose. A total of 603 patients with an increase in haemoglobin (Hb) <1 g/dL will be enrolled and randomised to one of the three study treatment groups at a 1: 1: 1 ratio Group 1: EPO treatment at the original dose plus intravenous iron dextran 200 mg every 3 weeks (Q3W) for 15 weeks; Group 2: EPO treatment at the original dose plus intravenous iron dextran 100 mg, twice a week for 5 weeks; Group 3: the control group, doubling the EPO dose without preplanned iron supplementation. The primary outcome measure to compare is the Hb response rate at week 15 and the secondary end points involve therapeutic blood transfusions. Time-to-progression, adverse events and quality of life will also be evaluated. Ethics and dissemination: All participants will provide informed consent; the study protocol has been approved by the independent ethics committee of Shanghai East Hospital. This study would clearly demonstrate the potential benefit of combining epoetin treatment with intravenous iron supplementation. Findings will be shared with participating hospitals, policymakers and the academic community to promote the clinical management of CIA in China.