Cytotoxic Chemotherapy Worsens Iron Deficiency Anaemia among Indian Women with Non - Metastatic Breast Cancer

Assessment of the effect of cytotoxic chemotherapy on the indices of iron homeostasis to elucidate the aetiology of anaemia in breast cancer.

Forty-two newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with Hb > 10 g/dL were recruited. Iron indices were estimated before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Anaemia of chronic disease (ACD) and anaemia of chronic disease + iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) were identified by sTfR, sTfR index, and algorithm by Skikne et al.

Anaemia was 52% at the presentation time, which increased to 93% at the end of NACT. Among the anaemic breast cancer patients, 75% belonged to the group of ACD + IDA, and only 25% belonged to the group of ACD at the time of presentation. After NACT, the number of patients in the ACD + IDA group significantly increased to 93%, while the members of the ACD group significantly reduced to 7%. Ferritin, Hepcidin, Transferrin, sTfR, and sTfR index increased after NACT.

The primary aetiology of anaemia among Indian breast cancer patients is a combination of ACD and IDA. Indian breast cancer patients were more vulnerable to developing iron deficiency anaemia when compared to anaemia of chronic disease during NACT.