Impact Of Anemia On Long-term Survival Of Tumor To Chemotherapy And Cancer Patients

Objective: To examine the impact of anemia on the efficacy of chemotherapy in solid experimental tumors.Methods: Anemia was induced using a single dose of carboplatin(50mg/kg iv) resulting in a long-lasting reduction of the hemoglobin concentration. In a second group, the develoment of anemia was prevented by rHuEPO(1000IU/kg) administered s.c three times/week starting 7 days before carboplatin application. Four days after carboplatin treatment, tumors(S180-sarcoma of the mice) were implanted s.c under the right axilla. Tumors were treated with a dose of cyclophosphamide(60mg/kg iv) 5 days after implantation. Results: Chemotherapy-induced anemia can be prevented by rHuEPO. A growth delay with a subsequent regrowth of the tumors was observed after chemotherapy. The growth delay in anemia group was significantly shorter compared with non-anemic controls(6.3 days versus 9.3 days). In the group where anemia was prevented by rHuEPO treatment, growth delay was comparable with that of non-anemic controls(9.3 days).Conclusion:Anemia reduces efficacy of chemotherapy in tumors, probably as a result of a poorer oxygen supply to tumor tissues, whereas correction of anemia by r-HuEPO treatment may increase the efficacy of chemotherapy.