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	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

In Reply: Concerns about the use of erythropoietin in cancer patients, as described by Dr Sadoff, are understandable, and these issues continue to fuel a number of investigations. Both the secretion of erythropoietin as well as the expression of erythropoietin receptors have been demonstrated in tumor cells, implying that the trophic factor erythropoietin in these cells may promote tumor growth.¹ A recent clinical study also suggested that increased erythropoietin expression is associated with tumor cell hypoxia and may contribute to diminished efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents in certain tumors.² However, recent animal studies suggest that erythropoietin can slow tumor growth. For example, erythropoietin can sensitize tumor cells to radiation therapy³ and act synergistically with chemotherapeutic agents to suppress tumor growth.⁴

Studies examining the role of erythropoietin in the presence of neoplastic diseases have not yet provided definitive recommendations for the use of this agent in anemic cancer patients. However, additional research . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Kenneth Maiese, MD
aa2088@wayne.edu

Faqi Li, MD, PhD; Zhao Zhong Chong, MD, PhD
Division of Cellular and Molecular Cerebral Ischemia
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Detroit, Mich

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