There was no increased risk of infections with IV iron .
Gastrointestinal AEs were reduced with IV iron .
CONCLUSION Intravenous iron therapy is not associated with an increased risk of SAEs or infections .
Infusion reactions are more pronounced with IV iron
OBJECTIVE To amass all available evidence regarding the safety of intravenous ( IV ) iron preparations to provide a true balance of efficacy and safety .
Intravenous iron optimizes the response to recombinant human erythropoietin in cancer patients with chemotherapy-related anemia: a multicenter, open-label, randomized trial.
PURPOSE Recombinant human erythropoietin ( rHuEPO ) is the st and ard of care for patients with chemotherapy-related anemia .  Intravenous ( IV ) iron improves hemoglobin ( Hb ) response and decreases dosage requirements in patients with anemia of kidney disease , but its effect has not been studied in r and omized trials in cancer patients . METHODS This prospect i ve , multicenter , open-label , r and omized trial enrolled 157 patients with chemotherapy-related anemia ( Hb < or= 105 g/L , serum ferritin < or= 450 pmol/L or < or= 675 pmol/L with transferrin saturation < or= 19 % ) receiving subcutaneously rHuEPO 40000 U once weekly to : ( 1 ) . no-iron ;  ( 2 )  . oral iron 325 mg twice  daily  ; ( 3 )  iron dextran repeated 100 mg IV bolus ; or ( 4 ) iron dextran total dose infusion ( TDI ) . Hb and quality of life ( QOL ) were measured at baseline and throughout . RESULTS All groups showed Hb ( P < .0001 ) increases from baseline . Mean Hb increases for both IV iron groups were greater ( P < .02 ) than for no-iron and oral iron groups . The percentage of patients with hematopoietic responses was higher ( P < .01 ) in both IV iron groups ( each case 68 % ) compared with no-iron ( 25 % ) and oral iron ( 36 % ) groups . IV iron groups showed increases in energy , activity , and overall QOL from baseline , compared with a decrease in energy and activity for no-iron group and no change in activity or overall QOL for oral iron group . CONCLUSION rHuEPO increases Hb levels and improves QOL in patients with chemotherapy-related anemia . Magnitude of Hb increase and QOL improvement is significantly greater if IV iron is added
There was no increased risk of infections with IV iron .
Gastrointestinal AEs were reduced with IV iron .
CONCLUSION Intravenous iron therapy is not associated with an increased risk of SAEs or infections .
Infusion reactions are more pronounced with IV iron
OBJECTIVE To amass all available evidence regarding the safety of intravenous ( IV ) iron preparations to provide a true balance of efficacy and safety .