[Treatment of anemia in patients with tumors]

About 30% of patients with tumors (in relation to its extent) suffer from anemia which is usually asymptomatic. Etiologically this anemia may be characterized as secondary, so called anemia of chronic diseases. Disorders of iron metabolism, blood marrow insufficiency, extracorpuscular haemolysis, catabolism of patients with tumor burden and relative deficiency of erythropoietin all play a role in its pathogenesis. Anemia of cancer patients may be usually classified as normocytic and normochromic. Indication and timing for treatment of anemia of cancer is equivocal. Successful treatment of anemia seems to improve the quality of life of cancer patients. Indication depends, of course, on the severity of anemia, degree of adaptation and the presence of clinical symptoms related to anemia. Therapy with iron or anabolics is not very effective, therapy with recombinant erythropoietin is not available for all patients, especially for its high price. Transfusion therapy should be considered more carefully in relation with some data showing the possible negative influence of allogeneic blood derivatives on the progression of tumors, especially in patients immunodeficient after high dose chemotherapy and actinotherapy.