title: Pre-treatment haemoglobin concentration is a prognostic factor in patients with early-stage breast cancer.
abstract: We investigated the prevalence of anaemia (haemoglobin concentration < 12 g/dl) in 336 women with early-stage breast cancer and its association with other known prognostic factors. The median follow-up period was 60.5 months (range 9 - 123 months). Seventy-nine women (23.5%) had a low pre-treatment haemoglobin concentration, but anaemia was not correlated with age, tumour size, nodal status, histological grade or hormone receptor status. Univariate analysis revealed that disease-free survival and overall survival were shorter in patients with anaemia at the time of diagnosis than in patients with normal haemoglobin concentrations. Anaemia remained a significant prognostic factor for disease-free survival and overall survival in the multivariate analysis (relative risk, 1.884 and 1.785, respectively). These results suggest that pre-treatment haemoglobin concentration is an independent prognostic factor in patients with early-stage breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Department, GATA Haydarpasa Training Hospital, Kadikoy, Istanbul, Turkey. egkandemir@yahoo.com
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Kandemir
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mayadagli
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Turken
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yaylaci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozturk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000740:Anemia; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins