Anemia is a condition in which the body has an inadequate supply of healthy red blood cells needed to carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues in the body. Anemia typically leads to fatigue and shortness of breath.
Iron-deficiency anemia is one form of anemia. Iron is part of a molecule in the red blood cells called hemoglobin that binds to the oxygen to transport it around the body.
ADT can cause anemia, but it is not necessarily iron-deficiency anemia that causes fatigue in patients on ADT. So how common is iron-deficiency anemia for men on ADT?
Researchers from Taiwan conducted a large retrospective study involving data from over 10,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer. The Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database was used to obtain medical and demographic data from 7,262 men with prostate cancer who received ADT, and 3,631 men with prostate cancer who didn’t receive ADT. Men were followed over 3 years to determine the rates and relative risk of iron-deficiency anemia.
Results: The incidence of iron-deficiency anemia for the men on ADT was 1.66 per 100 person-years, which was statistically higher than the incidence of 1.01 for the men who were not on ADT.
Conclusion: The incidence of iron deficiency varies with diet and ethnicity. Although not everyone who is prescribed ADT will experience iron-deficiency anemia, it is important for patients and healthcare providers to be aware of the risks in order to appropriately monitor and treat the condition.
Iron deficiency may or may not be contributing to fatigue for patients on ADT. Any person with severe fatigue should determine the cause and not simply assume that it is due to iron deficiency.
To read the full article, please see: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/3/e034202.long
Wu, F.J., Li, I.H., Chien, W.C., Shih, J.H., Lin, Y.C., Chuang, C.M., Cheng, Y.D., & Kao, L.T. (2020). Androgen deprivation therapy and the risk of iron-deficiency anaemia among patients with prostate cancer: a population-based cohort study. BMJ Open, 10(3), e034202.