Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 3, 2025
Chemotherapy-induced Vascular Toxicity - Real-time In vivo Imaging of Vessel Impairment
Published on: January 7, 2015
Emerging data on thrombopoietin receptor agonists for management of chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia
Andrew B Song1,2, Hanny Al-Samkari2,3
1Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Introduction:
Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) is a common complication of cancer treatment, frequently leading to reduced relative dose intensity, and is associated with reduced survival. Given the lack of FDA-approved therapies for CIT, thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) have received significant attention for treatment and prevention of CIT.
Areas Covered:
This review will summarize the development of prior agents for treatment of CIT, discuss the existing literature investigating the use of TPO-RAs in CIT primarily in patients with solid tumor malignancies, and offer insights on the future direction of TPO-RAs and other therapeutics for CIT.
Expert Opinion:
In alignment with NCCN guidelines, we recommend that patients with CIT participate in a clinical trial for consideration of TPO-RA treatment or consider off-label use of romiplostim when participation in clinical trials is not possible. The literature to date supports the use of TPO-RAs for treatment of persistent CIT. Further data is needed to describe the long-term efficacy, safety, and prescribing practices of TPO-RAs in a diverse patient population with a variety of tumor types and chemotherapy regimens in addition to exploring the underlying biology of CIT.
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