SynthesisThe Cochrane database of systematic reviews2012
Blood transfusions for anaemia in patients with advanced cancer.
Synthesis in The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- Care of the adult cancer patient at the end of life: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines.ESMO open · 2021Guideline
- Interventions for fatigue in inflammatory bowel disease.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Trial
- Red blood cell transfusions in advanced cancer near the end-of-life: narrative review.BMJ supportive & palliative care · 2026Review
- Blood Transfusion in End-of-Life Cancer Care: Clinical Evidence, Patient Blood Management and Goal-Concordant Practice.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Transfusion in Hospice-Palliative Care.Journal of hospice and palliative care · 2026Article
- Challenges in hospice and end-of-life care in the transfusion-dependent patient.Hematology. American Society of Hematology. Education Program · 2024Review
- Restrictive Blood Transfusion Policy for the Management of Anemia in Palliative Care in Finland.Palliative medicine reports · 2024Article
- Practice review: Evidence-based and effective management of anaemia in palliative care patients.Palliative medicine · 2022Review
- Practice review: Evidence-based and effective management of fatigue in patients with advanced cancer.Palliative medicine · 2022Review
- Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Prognostication in Oncology, Dementia, Frailty, and Pulmonary Diseases.Journal of palliative medicine · 2021Article
- Investigation and management of iron deficiency anaemia in a specialist palliative care setting and the role of intravenous iron: a descriptive analysis of hospice data.AMRC open research · 2021Article
- Transfusion as a Palliative Strategy.Current oncology reports · 2019Review
- Does packed red cell transfusion provide symptomatic benefits to cancer palliative patients?: a longitudinal study from a single private oncology center in Nepal.BMC palliative care · 2019Article
- Therapeutic impact of red blood cell transfusion on anemic outpatients: the RETRO study.Transfusion · 2019Observational
- National comparative audit of red blood cell transfusion practice in hospices: Recommendations for palliative care practice.Palliative medicine · 2019Article
- Barriers to the composition and implementation of advance directives in oncology: a literature review.Ecancermedicalscience · 2019Review
- Impact of ferric carboxymaltose on the evolution of hemoglobin and ECOG performance status in iron-deficient patients with solid tumors: a 3-month follow-up retrospective study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2018Article
- Pathogenesis and Treatment Options of Cancer Related Anemia: Perspective for a Targeted Mechanism-Based Approach.Frontiers in physiology · 2018Review
- Transfusion practices in patients with advanced cancer: a retrospective study in a palliative care service.Porto biomedical journalArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAnaemia occurs in 68% to 77% of patients with advanced cancer, however, only a minority of patients who are admitted to a hospice receive a blood transfusion. It is unclear what the benefit of blood transfusion is in advanced cancer, who is most likely to respond and also for how long. Hence we conducted a systematic review to assess the use of blood transfusion in advanced cancer.
objectivesTo synthesise the existing clinical evidence and summarise knowledge gaps regarding blood transfusions for treating anaemia in patients with advanced cancer. SEARCH
methodsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, ZETOC and CENTRAL in November 2011. In addition, we checked and citation-tracked the reference lists of all relevant studies and reports. We contacted investigators who were known to be researching this area for unpublished data or knowledge of the grey literature. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), before and after studies and interrupted time series (ITS) studies in adults and children, reporting the outcome of blood transfusions in advanced cancer. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two independent (NP and AH) review authors extracted data and quality scored studies. There were insufficient data to carry out an analysis. MAIN
resultsNo RCTs were found. We identified 12 before and after studies which included 653 participants and showed a subjective response rate of 31% to 70%. Five studies specifically assessed response using a range of fatigue scales which indicated an early response post transfusion, which was beginning to wane by day 14. Similar results were found for breathlessness. Overall survival ranged from two to 293 days but there was a significant proportion of participants (23% to 35%) who died within two weeks of their transfusion. AUTHORS'
conclusionsHigher-quality studies are required to determine the effectiveness of blood transfusion at the end of life and, in particular, to determine which patients are most likely to respond and which are not, and the duration of any response. Potential harms of blood transfusion at the end of life (indicated by high 14-day mortality) need to be distinguished from inappropriate transfusion in patients who are dying from advanced cancer.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.