title: Is there any role of intravenous iron for the treatment of anemia in cancer?
abstract: Anemia is a major cause of morbidity in patients with cancer resulting in poor physical performance, prognosis and therapy outcome. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of intravenous (iv) iron administration for the correction of anemia, for the prevention of exacerbation of anemia, for decreasing blood transfusion rates, and for the survival of cancer patients.
  
  
  
  Patients with different solid tumor diagnosis who received iv iron during their cancer treatment were evaluated retrospectively. Sixty-three patients with hemoglobin (Hgb) levels between ≥ 9 g/dL, and ≤ 10 g/dL, and no urgent need for red blood cell transfusion were included in this retrospective analysis. The aim of cancer treatment was palliative for metastatic patients (36 out of 63), or adjuvant or curative for patients with localized disease (27 out of 63). All the patients received 100 mg of iron sucrose which was delivered intravenously in 100 mL of saline solution, infused within 30 min, 5 infusions every other day. Complete blood count, serum iron, and ferritin levels before and at every 1 to 3 months subsequently after iv iron administration were followed regularly.
  
  
  
  Initial mean serum Hgb, serum ferritin and serum iron levels were 9.33 g/dL, 156 ng/mL, and 35.9 μg/dL respectively. Mean Hgb, ferritin, and iron levels 1 to 3 months, and 6 to 12 months after iv iron administration were 10.4 g/dL, 11.2 g/dL, 298.6 ng/mL, 296.7 ng/mL, and 71.6 μg/dL, 67.7 μg/dL respectively with a statistically significant increase in the levels (p < 0.001). Nineteen patients (30 %) however had further decrease in Hgb levels despite iv iron administration, and blood transfusion was necessary in 18 of these 19 patients (28.5 %). The 1-year overall survival rates differed in metastatic cancer patients depending on their response to iv iron; 61.1 % in responders versus 35.3 % in non-responders, (p = 0.005), furthermore response to iv iron correlated with tumor response to cancer treatment, and this relation was statistically significant, (p < 0.001).
  
  
  
  Iv iron administration in cancer patients undergoing active oncologic treatment is an effective and safe measure for correction of anemia, and prevention of worsening of anemia. Amelioration of anemia and increase in Hgb levels with iv iron administration in patients with disseminated cancer is associated with increased tumor response to oncologic treatment and overall survival. Response to iv iron may be both a prognostic and a predictive factor for response to cancer treatment and survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Education and Research Hospital, Cevizli, Istanbul, Turkey. cegemici@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Cengiz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gemici
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Education and Research Hospital, Cevizli, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yetmen
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Education and Research Hospital, Cevizli, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gokhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yaprak
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Education and Research Hospital, Cevizli, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sevgi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozden
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Education and Research Hospital, Cevizli, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tepetam
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Education and Research Hospital, Cevizli, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hazan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozyurt
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Alpaslan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mayadagli
mesh_terms: D061605:Administration, Intravenous; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077605:Ferric Oxide, Saccharated; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D005937:Glucaric Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D006454:Hemoglobins; D005293:Ferritins; C020622:hemoglobin B; D000077605:Ferric Oxide, Saccharated; D005937:Glucaric Acid
keywords: Anemia; Intravenous iron; Solid tumor