Hetrombopag plus recombinant human thrombopoietin for chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia in patients with solid...

Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) is a common hematological complication in patients with cancer. Hetrombopag is a novel thrombopoietin receptor agonist that has shown an additive effect in stimulating platelet production when combined with recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhTPO).

This multicenter retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of hetrombopag plus rhTPO compared with rhTPO alone for CIT.

A total of 294 patients with solid tumors and CIT (platelet count, <50 × 10⁹/L) who received either rhTPO plus hetrombopag (146 patients) or rhTPO alone (148 patients) at 3 centers from January to December 2022 were included in the study. The primary outcome was a platelet count at least 50 × 10⁹/L higher than the baseline value within 14 days. Chemotherapy dose reductions/delays, bleeding, and adverse events were reported.

One hundred twenty patients (82.2%) in the rhTPO-hetrombopag group vs 100 patients (67.6%) in the rhTPO group achieved the primary outcome (P = .005). This significant difference persisted in adjusted analysis (odds ratio, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.12-3.60). A total of 115 patients (78.8%) in the rhTPO-hetrombopag group and 101 patients (68.2%) in the rhTPO group avoided chemotherapy dose reductions/delays (P = .041). There was no significant difference in bleeding rates, and adverse events were mild and similar between the 2 groups. No deaths occurred.

Compared to rhTPO alone, our findings suggest that the combination of hetrombopag and rhTPO is safe and more effective in patients with CIT.