Haematological variables in prostatic carcinoma patients

Routine laboratory tests of the red, white and platelet blood cell systems were performed in 49 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), in 24 hormonally treated patients with metastatic prostatic carcinoma, in 17 patients with untreated prostatic carcinoma without metastases and in 14 patients with untreated metastatic prostatic carcinoma. Significantly lower erythrocyte counts, haemoglobin levels and haematocrit values were found in the hormonally treated cancer group compared to all three other groups. The untreated metastatic cancer group had significantly lower haemoglobin levels and haematocrit values compared to the untreated non-metastatic cancer group. These results indicate that patients with metastases were developing anaemia and that this development was not influenced by palliative hormonal therapy. The results of this study showed that abnormal platelet counts in patients with prostatic carcinoma were rare and that the white blood cell system did not seem to be affected in patients with prostatic carcinoma.