Inspection of the pathophysiology of anemia among children with cancer

ABSTRACT

The pathophysiologies of cancer-associated anemia has been categorized as being similar to those of anemia of chronic diseases. However, modern studies made for investigating the pathophysiology of anemia among children with cancer refer to obvious differences from that seen in adults. And as it has been confirmed that a defect in erythropoietin production is a principal cause of anemia among adults with solid tumors; it seems that anemia among children with cancer is associated with a decrease in bone marrow erythropoietic activity without a decrease in erythropoietin production. We have measured the values of haemoglobin, serum concentrations of erythropoietin and soluble transferrin receptor among groups of children with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, who have either solid tumors or haematological malignancies, to inspect the pathophysiology of cancer-associated anemia among them; by determining values of erythropoietin and bone marrow response. The study included 54 children all suffering from cancer, their ages varied between 1 and 152 months. Patients was divided into four groups Tow of them are for patients of cancer-associated anemia [showing haemoglobin values lower than values of reference ranges according to age], one of them is for solid tumors and the other is for haematological malignancies. The other two are control groups [showing haemoglobin values within the reference ranges according to age], one of them is for solid tumers and the other is for haematological malignancies. Our results indicate that anemia among children with cancer undergoing chemotherapy is mainly caused by an intrinsic failure in bone marrow and not by a reduction in erythropoietin production, which means that there is a difference in pathophysiology of anemia among children with cancer from that seen in adults