ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the incidence of anemia among patients with esophageal carcinoma undergoing radiotherapy, and to explore its influence on prognosis.Methods The data of 386 patients with esophageal carcinoma undergoing radiotherapy were collected retrospectively.The survival rates of the 1st, 3rd, 5th year were compared between the anemia group and non-anemia group.Analysis was carried on the impact factors of amenia on the prognosis and other clinical factors.Results The incidence of anemia before radiotherapy was 46.3 ％ (179/386), and the level of hemoglobin was 116 g/L (49-169 g/L).The incidence of anemia after radiotherapy was 74.2 ％ (286/386), and the level of hemoglobin was 98 g/L (45-152 g/L).The incidences of anemia between before and after radiotherapy were statistically different (x2 =61.915, P ＜ 0.001).The incidence of anemia before radiotherapy was associated with stage, Karnofsky score, BMI and the weight loss before treatment (P ＜ 0.05).The median survival time of the anemia group was 42 months, while that of the non-anemia group was 52 months, and the difference was statistically significant (x2 =5.002, P =0.025).There were 87.7 ％ of anemia patients got no treatment.Conclusions The prevalences of anemia before and after radiotherapy are high, and anemia before radiotherapy can decrease the survival rate in esophageal carcinoma patients.Methods should be taken to improve the haemoglobin level in order to increase the survival rate.