The Pattern of Anemia in Pediatric Solid Tumors Prior to and after Chemotherapy- A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND

Solid pediatric tumors refer to cancers that affect children and adolescents, and they present unique challenges due to their distinct biological characteristics and their vulnerability to young patients. This study aims to shed light on addressing anemia and the causes of anemia in patients with solid pediatric tumors.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This retrospective cohort comprised 200 healthy children as controls and 235 patients with solid tumors. The study was conducted at first Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between January 2020 and June 2023. We evaluated different parameters of blood components in controls and patients with solid tumors such as medulloblastoma, neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, germ cell tumors, hepatoblastoma and nephroblastoma before and patients with only these tumors 3 weeks after the first cycle of chemotherapy. Further, we evaluated the relationship between serum ferritin and the weight of patients and assessed the relationship between anemia and metastasis to the bone marrow in patients with neuroblastoma and hepatoblastoma.

RESULTS

We observed various combinations of derangements in blood parameters such as hemoglobin, red blood cells, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, red cell distribution width, white blood cells, and platelet in medulloblastoma, neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, germ cell tumors, hepatoblastoma and nephroblastoma before and 3 weeks after first cycle of chemotherapy. We found a significant correlation between serum ferritin levels and weight in neuroblastoma patients who are ≤ 2 years (p = 0.022). Involvement of tumor cells in bone marrow correlates with decreased Hb level in both neuroblastoma (CI = 93.21-106.68, p = 0.001) and hepatoblastoma (CI = 113.36-121.00, p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Anemia may manifest as an early symptom in neuroblastoma, hepatoblastoma, and nephroblastoma. Also, anemia may be worse in patients with neuroblastoma and hepatoblastoma after chemotherapy and might warrant anemia therapy.