Abstract
The objective of this historical prospective review of 12 medical centres across Canada was to determine the prevalence of anaemia and the frequency of transfusion in patients (pts) receiving chemotherapy for the treatment of selected cancers (lung, breast, ovary, sarcoma Hodgkin's/non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, melanoma, bladder, colorectal). The 616 pts recruited had started chemotherapy in January–June 1992, continued to have treatment at regular intervals for at least 6 weeks (mean duration 24 weeks), and had received no chemotherapy within the previous 12 months. The pts were not treated with any investigational drug. Data collection finished 4 weeks after the end of the first chemotherapy regimen, to a maximum follow-up period of 26 weeks. A full multivariate analysis of transfusion and anaemia will be presented. Preliminary data indicate that 87 pts (14%) were transfused—72 (12%) for anaemia. In the different diagnostic groups (n
>
30), 4% of pts with colorectal cancer were transfused for anaemia (13% anaemic), compared with 5% of breast cancer pts (17% anaemic), 24% non-Hodgkin's lymphoma pts (53% anaemic), 25% ovarian cancer pts (51% anaemic), and 28% of lung cancer pts (52% anaemic). For all subjects, the mean baseline Hb level of pts not transfused was significantly higher than that of pts transfused for anaemia overall (12.8 vs 11.8 g/dl,
P
<
0.001), in the lung cancer sub-group (13.6 vs 12.7 g/dl,
P
<
0.05), and the ovarian cancer sub-group (12.1 vs 10.6 g/dl,
P
<
0.05). Overall, the mean nadir Hb level was also significantly higher in pts not transfused vs pts transfused for anaemia, and in the 5 sub-groups with n
>
30 (
P
<
0.001). The results of the full analysis, including stage of disease and chemotherapy regimen, will identify factors associated with anaemia and transfusion.