Transfusion clue to cancer recurrence

Monday November 24th, 2008

Cancer patients who need transfusions may need to be given blood fresh from a donor, according to new findings reported today.

A laboratory study suggests that stored blood can contribute to triggering cancer recurrence - but fresh blood does not.

The findings, reported in the journal Anesthiology, offer new insight into the way that blood transfusions can increase the risk of recurrence of disease following surgery for cancer.

The impact of blood transfusions was tested on rats with breast cancer or leukemia.

Researcher Dr Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu, of Tel Aviv University, Israel, said: "The results of our study clearly indicate that blood transfusion is an independent risk factor for cancer recurrence in the animal models we used.

"Our study also yielded two surprising findings. First, the storage time of the transfused blood was the critical determinant of harmful effects: fresh blood had no harmful effects.

"Second, and even more surprising, we found that red blood cells, not white blood cells, caused the effects we observed."

He added: "The current common approach in cancer patients is to use transfused blood depleted of white blood cells.

"But we found that removal of white blood cells was ineffective in our setting. Rather, we suggest a different approach: the use of fresh red blood cells for cancer surgeries.

"For the first time, we have shown in animal models that donor red blood cells, rather than white blood cells or other blood components, can be a critical factor in how blood transfusions affect cancer."

Anesthesiology December 2008

Tags: Cancer

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