title: Impact of Transfusion on Cancer Growth and Outcome.
abstract: For many years, transfusion of allogeneic red blood cells, platelet concentrates, and plasma units has been part of the standard therapeutic arsenal used along the surgical and nonsurgical treatment of patients with malignancies. Although the benefits of these blood products are not a matter of debate in specific pathological conditions associated with life-threatening low blood cell counts or bleeding, increasing clinical evidence is nevertheless suggesting that deliberate transfusion of these blood components may actually lead to negative clinical outcomes by affecting patient's immune defense, stimulating tumor growth, tethering, and dissemination. Rigorous preclinical and clinical studies are needed to dimension the clinical relevance, benefits, and risks of transfusion of blood components in cancer patients and understand the amplitude of problems. There is also a need to consider validating preparation methods of blood components for so far ignored biological markers, such as microparticles and biological response modifiers. Meanwhile, blood component transfusions should be regarded as a personalized medicine, taking into careful consideration the status and specificities of the patient, rather than as a routine hospital procedure.
authors.affiliation: Saskatoon Cancer Centre, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
authors.forename: Hadi A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Goubran
authors.affiliation: Saskatoon Cancer Centre, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elemary
authors.affiliation: Human Protein Process Sciences, Lille, France.
authors.forename: Miryana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radosevich
authors.affiliation: International Consultancy in Blood Components Quality/Safety, Audit/Inspection and DDR Strategies, London, UK.
authors.forename: Jerard
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seghatchian
authors.affiliation: Shabrawishi Hospital Blood Bank, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Magdy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El-Ekiaby
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Burnouf
keywords: biological response modifiers; cancer; metastasis; microparticles; plasma; platelet; red blood cells; transfusion; tumor