The group of drugs known as ESAs are apparently being used inappropriately in cancer patients, suggesting that the expensive treatments are being wasted and exposing patients unnecessarily to serious side effects, according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Specifically, the meds were administered for no more than one week in 24 percent of patients, which is an insufficient amount of time to offer a useful benefit, according to the researchers (read the abstract). Moreover, nearly eight percent of the patients received one of the drugs for more than 14 weeks, while almost 14 percent were getting the drugs when they weren’t on chemotherapy.”
