Post-orchiectomy anaemia in patients with advanced carcinoma of the prostate

To study postorchiectomy anaemia in black Nigerian patients who had bilateral orchiectomy for advanced carcinoma of the prostate. Anaemia has been observed in similar studies done on Caucasians and non-black patients in non-tropical environments

Consecutive patients with advanced carcinoma of the prostate who were managed by the authors over a four-year period, and who were treated with bilateral orchiectomy were prospectively studied. They also satisfied the set criteria for inclusion in the study.

Thirty-six patients were studied. The mean age was 71 years (SD = 7.6). Preoperative white blood cell count with blood film examination, and serum urea and creatinine were within normal limits and remained so for the duration of the study. The mean value of the haemoglobin concentration dropped significantly from 11.9 g/dl to 10.1 g/dl at six months (p < 0.005). The prostate specific antigen decreased from a mean preoperative value of 62.2 ng/ml (SD = 58.6) to a mean postoperative nadir of 2.9 ng/ml (SD = 1.3) after three months.

In Nigerians, there is a statistically significant decrease in the heamoglobin concentration after bilateral orchiectomy. This should be closely monitored, and treated when indicated.