Iron therapy and cancer

Anemia in cancer patients has many etiologies. Iron therapy clearly is indicated in patients whose anemias are associated with iron deficiency. However, a frequent cause of anemia in cancer is the "anemia of chronic disorders," in which, although functional iron may be low, tissue iron remains normal or high. Administration of iron with erythropoietin to such patients requires careful and frequent evaluation of hematologic and iron values. Inadvertent iron loading can contribute to deterioration of a variety of organ systems, as well as to increased proliferation of neoplastic cells.