Cancer Related Anemia Should Be Treated on Priority, Suggests Doctors at Art of Healing Cancer

Anemia is a condition that affects more than half of cancer patients at diagnosis and during treatment which further impacts their quality of life on an everyday basis. Cancer patients with anemia show reduced response to radiotherapy and chemotherapy due to tumor hypoxia cause by anemia. This condition is further associated with aggressive tumor growth and metastasis. Thus, anemia in a patient who is battling with cancer needs attention and appropriate treatment.

According to Dr. Sonal Jain – MD, Art of Healing Cancer (AOHC), Hematopathologist DM AIIMS, "Right Treatment begins with Right Diagnosis. A battery of tests (Complete blood count with peripheral smear, Iron Profile, Vitamin B₁₂/ folate levels, Serum LDH, Coomb’s test etc.) can help in picking up patients with treatable cause of low hemoglobin or Anemia. If these are not the reasons, patients can then be treated judiciously with Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents (erythropoietin, darbepoetin etc. also called as ESA, with or without iron supplementation and blood transfusions (when required)."

Appropriate short term usage of iron supplementation (when needed) doesn’t increase cancer risk. Judicious use of ESAs also doesn’t increase the risk of disease progression. Instead appropriate anemia management optimizes cancer outcome, response to therapy and ensures good quality of life.

Through the Art of Healing Cancer Initiative (AOHC) as per Arpan Talwar (Co-Founder, Art of Healing Cancer & Guru Harikrishn Foundation) "The intent is to make every individual who is battling with cancer aware of this information so that they have a good quality of life. In our endeavour to facilitate treatment of cancer patients, we are launching a Comprehensive Anemia Panel for cancer patients with an intent to provide a detailed diagnosis and treatment guidance."

Guru Harikrishn (GHK) Foundation as suggested by Mr. Manjit Singh (Co-Founder GHK Foundation) has developed special subsidized packages for Cancer patients with Anemia so that the most can be benefited.