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Renal Cell Carcinoma and Erythropoietin
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
IN RESPONSE:
As Dr. Sungur states, there are substantial differences between the clinical features of his patient and mine. My patient had a complete remission of bulky tumor in apparent response to exogenous erythropoietin [1]. Even if the patients were similar, however, differences in response would not be surprising. In tumors with well-established hormone sensitivity, such as breast cancer, only some patients respond to hormone therapy, even among women with a favorable estrogen receptor profile. Another possible explanation for variation in response is a difference in dosage. Dr. Sungur's patient first received a maximum dose of 12 000 U/wk for 6 weeks and then 4000 U/wk. My patient received 150 U/kg body weight three times per week (approximately three times the dose received by Dr. Sungur's patient) until remission was established and has received 2000 U every 2 weeks for more than 1 year.
My patient received Procrit (Ortho Biotech, Raritan, New Jersey). My colleagues and I have just begun a pilot study testing this product in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Even one response in the first 10 patients would be strong evidence that our initial patient's response was causally related to the administration of erythropoietin.
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
- Copyright ©2004 by the American College of Physicians
