Prevalence of Anemia in Patients With Solid Tumors: A Single Center Cross-Sectional Study at a Tertiary Care Center in West India

Abstract

Background: Anemia is one of the most frequently reported problems in patients with cancer. It is a frequent finding in cancer patients, occurring in >40% of cases. Methods: To evaluate the distribution, the main causes, and the possible correlations of anemia with type and stage of cancer in a population of patients with solid tumors, we carried out a cross sectional observational study on a cohort of 127 subjects. Results: Anemia was observed in 58.4% of patients, with an increase in the prevalence with increasing age regardless of gender difference. In more than one-half (59.1% )of anemic patients, anemia was mild. Moderate to severe anemia was seen in 27.6% and 13.4% cases respectively. Iron deficiency was the commonest etiology for anemia in cases with solid tumors (54.33%) followed by anemia due to chronic disease (41.73%). Mild anemia was relatively more common in cases with CNS tumors and Breast carcinoma while severe anemia was associated with lymphomas and colorectal carcinoma. Conclusion: Our data confirm the high prevalence of anemia in patients hospitalized in an Oncology unit, with a remarkable burden of mild forms, and of chronic inflammation's pathogenic mechanism. Correlations with comorbidities and duration of hospital stay highlight the crucial part played by anemia in determining the clinical complexity of such patients.