Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and cardiovascular events in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and multiple myeloma

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) treatment has been associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with solid tumors and with an increased risk of cardiovascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease. The ESA-related risk in patients with hematological neoplasms remains unclear. We, therefore, aimed to assess the ESA-related risk of VTE, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). We conducted a population-based cohort study in Denmark, using medical databases to identify 2,114 MDS patients and 3,105 MM patients diagnosed in 2004-2013. Incidence rates per 1,000 person-years and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for VTE, MI, and stroke associated with ESA treatment were computed. HRs were calculated in time-dependent Cox regression and adjusted for age, sex, MDS prognosis group, comorbidities, and treatments. Incidence rates per 1,000 person-years for VTE, MI, and stroke were 10.8, 8.2, and 16.0 in MDS patients, and 21.9, 10.2 and 9.9 in MM patients without ESA treatment, respectively. MDS patients with ESA treatment had a 1.6-fold increased risk of MI (HR 1.60 [95% CI 0.90-2.86]) and an almost twofold increased risk of stroke (HR 1.94 [95% CI 1.28-2.94]). Adjusted HR for VTE was 1.04 (95% CI 0.57-1.89) compared with MDS patients without ESAs. In MM patients with ESAs compared with patients without ESAs, HRs were 1.41 (95% CI 0.96-2.08) for VTE, 1.23 (95% CI 0.68-2.20) for MI, and 1.63 (95% CI 0.96-2.77) for stroke. ESA use was associated with stroke in MDS patients. Among MM patients, ESA treatment was associated with a higher risk of all cardiovascular events, although all CIs included equivalence.