Anaemia of lung cancer is due to impaired erythroid marrow response to erythropoietin stimulation as well as relative inadequacy of erythropoietin production

Many studies have been done in order to elucidate the pathogenesis of the anaemia of chronic disorders accompanying cancer, with conflicting results. This is probably due to the heterogeneity of the patient population selected for these studies (many patients treated by chemotherapy). To avoid this pitfall, in this study a very homogenous group of chemotherapy and radiotherapy‐naive patients with lung cancer were selected. Serum erythropoietin and soluble transferrin receptor measurements suggested that the anaemia of non‐treated lung cancer is mainly due to an impaired erythroid marrow response to erythropoietin stimulation. However, a relative inadequacy of erythropoietin production may also contribute.

[1]  J. Spivak,et al.  Cancer-related anemia: its causes and characteristics. , 1994, Seminars in oncology.

[2]  J. Kugler,et al.  Recombinant human erythropoietin therapy for anemic cancer patients on combination chemotherapy. , 1993, Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

[3]  G. Fillet,et al.  Quantitative assessment of erythropoiesis and functional classification of anemia based on measurements of serum transferrin receptor and erythropoietin. , 1993, Blood.

[4]  E.,et al.  Progress in Understanding the Pathogenesis of the Anemia of Chronic Disease , 1992 .

[5]  S. Piantadosi,et al.  Decreased erythropoietin response in patients with the anemia of cancer. , 1990, The New England journal of medicine.

[6]  P. Pootrakul,et al.  Intact transferrin receptors in human plasma and their relation to erythropoiesis. , 1990, Blood.

[7]  W. O. Schreuder,et al.  Testosterone, erythropoietin and anaemia in patients with disseminated bronchial cancer , 1984, British journal of haematology.

[8]  R. Hoffman,et al.  Mechanisms of abnormal erythropoiesis in malignancy , 1983, Cancer.

[9]  R. Degowin,et al.  Erythropoietin and the anemia of mice bearing extramedullary tumor. , 1979, Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine.

[10]  S. Zucker,et al.  The Anaemia of Chronic Disorders: Studies of Iron Reutilization in the Anaemia of Experimental Malignancy and Chronic Inflammation , 1977, British journal of haematology.

[11]  S. Zucker,et al.  Bone marrow erythropoiesis in the anemia of infection, inflammation, and malignancy. , 1974, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[12]  H. P. Ward,et al.  Serum level of erythropoietin in anemias associated with chronic infection, malignancy, and primary hematopoietic disease. , 1971, The Journal of clinical investigation.