Journal:
Asian J Androl. 2004 Dec;6(4):383-4

Full Text Article:
http://tinyurl.com/4uk2n

Abstract:

Anemia in patients on combined androgen block therapy for prostate cancer.

Qian LX, Hua LX, Wu HF, Sui YG, Cheng SG, Zhang W, Li J, Wang XR.

Department of Urology, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 210029,China. qianlx@jlonline.com.

AIM: To study the effect of combined androgen block therapy on hemoglobin and hematocrit values in patients with prostate cancer. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-six patients with adenocarcinoma of prostate were treated with combined androgen block (orchiectomy and flutamide 250 mg, tid). Complete blood counts were determined before and after 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of therapy. RESULTS: The hemoglobin and hematocrit levels declined significantly in all patients and at all the time points after treatment (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Prostate cancer patients treated with combined androgen block would develop obvious anemia. Recombinant human erythropoietin can be used to treat patients with severe anemia.

PMID: 15546035 [PubMed - in process] http://tinyurl.com/6jaft