[Erythropoietin in cancer patients with anemia].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to evaluate the endogenous erythropoietin production in cancer patients with anemia.


METHODS
Our prospective study interested 99 cancer patients with anemia from 17 to 80 years old, during the period going from March 2002 to December 2004, and 31 healthy individuals with anemia caused by iron deficiency. A blood sample was collected from each patient, as well as healthy individuals to measure serum erythropoietin, C reactive protein and ferritin.


RESULTS
The increase of serum erythropoietin was significantly lower in patients than in healthy individuals (P < 0.05). 25.2% of our cancer patients have inflammatory anemia and 74.7% presented microcytic anemia associated with increase of serum ferririn and CRP. These values were significantly higher than in healthy individuals (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Anemia in cancer patients results from activation of inflammatory system, which inhibit erythropoietin production. Apart from etiologic treatments, anemia can be treated with recombinant human erythropoietin.
Service de Biologie Clinique, Institut Salah Azaïez, Tunis.
Sonia
S
Gara
Abdelraouf
A
Ghanem
Awatef
A
Jmal
Wafa
W
Loussaïef
Yosr
Y
Gara
Rekaya
R
Baaboura
Habib
H
Mtaallah
Latifa
L
Harzallah
Salem
S
Abbes
Monia
M
Abdennebi
Fethi
F
Guemira
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000150:complications*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D011446:Prospective Studies
D004921:Erythropoietin