EFFECT OF THROMBOPOIETIN RECEPTOR AGONIST ELTROMBOPAG ON CHEMOTHERAPY INDUCED THROMBOCYTOPENIA

Abstract

Thrombocytopenia occurs when platelet formation is insufficient to balance the physiological or pathological platelet consumption. It is a result of rapid destruction of the platelets in blood or an impaired/failure in production of platelets from precursor cells. Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) is a common problem faced by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Eltrombopag is a non-peptidic oral thrombopoietin receptor (TPOr) agonist that interacts with the transmembrane domain of human TPOr by inducing the proliferation and differentiation of megakaryocytes from the bone marrow, thus increasing platelet count but has not been approved for use in CIT. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of Eltrombopag in the management of CIT. Patients experiencing CIT were divided into two groups; patients taking Eltrombopag and matching controls not taking the drug. Clinical outcomes including days to platelet recovery, bleeding episodes, length of hospital stay, delay in next chemo cycle and reduction in chemo dose were compared in both the groups. The study showed a positive effect on the platelet recovery status of the patients receiving Eltrombopa