Which medications in the drug class Colony-Stimulating Factors Growth Factor are used in the treatment of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)?

Updated: Aug 20, 2020
  • Author: Shipra Gandhi, MBBS; Chief Editor: Emmanuel C Besa, MD  more...
  • Print
Answer

Colony-Stimulating Factors Growth Factor

These agents can induce an increase in reticulocyte counts with a subsequent increase in hematocrit and hemoglobin levels.

Epoetin alfa (Epogen, Procrit)

Epoetin alfa is a purified glycoprotein produced from mammalian cells modified with gene coding for human erythropoietin (EPO). Its amino acid sequence is identical to that of endogenous EPO, and its biological activity mimics human urinary EPO, which stimulates division and differentiation of committed erythroid progenitor cells and induces the release of reticulocytes from bone marrow into the blood stream.

Darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp)

Darbepoetin alfa is an erythropoiesis-stimulating protein closely related to erythropoietin, a primary growth factor produced in the kidneys that stimulates the development of erythroid progenitor cells. Its mechanism of action is similar to that of endogenous erythropoietin, which interacts with stem cells to increase red blood cell production. Darbepoetin alfa differs from epoetin alfa (recombinant human erythropoietin) in that it contains 5 N-linked oligosaccharide chains, whereas epoetin alfa contains 3. Darbepoetin alfa has a longer half-life than epoetin alfa (may be administered weekly or biweekly).


Did this answer your question?
Additional feedback? (Optional)
Thank you for your feedback!