[Anaemia and prostatic cancer]

Abnormal laboratory parameters are frequently observed during the course of prostate cancer. Anaemia, often due to multifactorial causes, develops progressively and essentially depends on the stage of the disease and the therapeutic strategy. Androgen deprivation can induce a reduction of haemoglobin that can sometimes be severe, especially in the case of complete hormonal blockade. At a time when the extension of the indications for hormonal blockade in combination with external beam radiotherapy in localized prostate cancers appears to be confirmed, the long-term adverse effects need to be monitored more closely. External beam radiotherapy is also responsible for a fall in haemoglobin, which depends on the dimensions of the irradiation field and the volume of bone marrow included in the field. However progress in irradiation techniques should result in decreased haematological toxicity. Anaemia inevitably affects the patient's quality of life and also appears to have a negative impact on local control of localized prostate cancer treated by external beam radiotherapy. The indications for early and preventive management of anaemia must be defined. Furthermore, as treatment of advanced disease is based on symptomatic treatment and improvement of quality of life, correction of anaemia must also be considered as part of palliative care.