Perioperative anemia and blood transfusions as prognostic factors in patients undergoing resection for non-small cell lung cancers

We hypothesised that anemia could represent an important prognostic factor and perioperative blood transfusions do not reduce the risk of relapse. In order to explore this topic, we assessed the correlation of preoperative anemia and blood transfusions with survival in patients with resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients who underwent radical surgery for NSCLC at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Università Politecnica delle Marche from January 1996 through December 2001, were included in our study. Four hundred and thirty-nine patients were eligible for our analysis. Survival appeared worse in patients with haemoglobin (Hb) < or =10 g/dl versus Hb >10 g/dl (p=0.012). Stratifying patients in three groups on their Hb level (group 1: Hb < or =10 g/dl; group 2: Hb=10-12 g/dl; group 3: Hb > or =12 g/dl), we observed a worse prognosis in patients with lower Hb levels, too (p=0.0325) and also in the transfused population (p=0.046). At multivariate analysis, only the age of patients, pathological stage and Hb levels resulted indicators of prognosis. Our results suggested that anemia could represent an important prognostic factor in resected NSCLC and correction of anemia in the perioperative setting does not reduce the risk of relapse.