Iron deficiency in patients with solid tumours: prevalence and management in clinical practice

The objective of the present study was to describe the prevalence and management of anaemia and iron deficiency (ID) in treatment-naïve patients with solid tumours in Spain and the incidence of anaemia over 4 months of cancer treatment in clinical practice.

Multicentre, prospective and observational study in newly diagnosed cancer patients. Data on anaemia and iron parameters and its management were collected prior to the initiation of chemotherapy, at each cycle of chemotherapy and after 4 months of treatment. The main outcomes of the study were the prevalence of anaemia at baseline, its incidence during cancer treatment and the prevalence of absolute ID (AID) and functional ID (FID) prior to chemotherapy initiation.

A total of 295 patients were included in the study. Anaemia was present at diagnosis in 38.6 % of patients and was treated only in 32.5 % of those. A total of 106 patients (60.2 %) without anaemia at baseline developed anaemia during cancer treatment. Serum ferritin and transferrin saturation data were available for 151 of the patients (51.2 %) included in the study. The overall prevalence of ID was 59 %: 48 patients (31.8 %) presented with AID and 41 patients (27.2 %) presented with FID before starting anti-cancer therapy. Thirty-three of 44 non-anaemic iron-deficient patients did not receive any type of iron supplementation before initiating cancer therapy.

Iron parameters are not commonly measured in newly diagnosed cancer patients. A correct evaluation and early management of ID could reduce the incidence of treatment-related anaemia in cancer patients.