Patterns of erythropoiesis-stimulating agent use among Medicare beneficiaries with myelodysplastic syndromes and consistency with clinical guidelines

Amy J. Davidoff, Sheila R. Weiss, Maria R. Baer, Xuehua Ke, Franklin Hendrick, Amer Zeidan, Steven D. Gore

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) are used commonly to reduce symptomatic anemia in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). We assessed population-based patterns of ESA use relative to treatment guidelines using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries, with linked Medicare claims providing detailed treatment data from 2001 through 2005. The study found widespread use (62%) of ESA in Medicare beneficiaries with MDS. Similar ESA use rates regardless of risk status, low frequency (45%) of serum erythropoietin determination prior to ESA initiation, and high prevalence (60.4%) of short-duration ESA episodes suggest clinically important discrepancies between actual practice and guideline-recommended therapy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)675-680
Number of pages6
JournalLeukemia Research
Volume37
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent
  • Guideline adherence
  • Medicare
  • Myelodysplastic syndrome
  • Supportive care

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Hematology
  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Patterns of erythropoiesis-stimulating agent use among Medicare beneficiaries with myelodysplastic syndromes and consistency with clinical guidelines'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this