Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33053619›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical medicine2020

Immune Activation and Anemia Are Associated with Decreased Quality of Life in Patients with Solid Tumors.

Patricia Kink, Eva Maria Egger, Lukas Lanser, Michaela Klaunzner, Bernhard Holzner, Wolfgang Willenbacher, Maria Theresia Kasseroler, Dietmar Fuchs, Günter Weiss, Katharina Kurz

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 53% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Baseline functioning scales of quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30) as a predictor of overall survival in patients with lung cancer: a meta-analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025
    Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Patricia KinkDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Eva Maria EggerDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Lukas LanserDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID 0000-0001-7849-2971
Michaela KlaunznerDepartment of Psychiatry II, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Bernhard HolznerDepartment of Psychiatry II, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-3389-3621
Wolfgang WillenbacherDepartment of Internal Medicine V, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Maria Theresia KasserolerDepartment of Internal Medicine V, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Dietmar FuchsInstitute of Biological Chemistry, Biocenter, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID 0000-0003-1627-9563
Günter WeissDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID 0000-0003-0709-2158
Katharina KurzDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Innsbruck Medical University · AT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Anemia often coincides with depression and impaired quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients. Sustained immune activation can lead to the development of anemia. Furthermore, it also may go along with changes in tryptophan and phenylalanine metabolism. The aim of our pilot study was to study the relationship between anemia, immune-mediated changes in amino acid metabolism, and the QoL and mood of cancer patients. Questionnaires to measure QoL and depression were completed by 152 patients with solid tumors. Hemoglobin, parameters of immune activation as well as tryptophan and phenylalanine metabolism were determined in the patients' sera. Anemic patients (51.7%) presented with higher inflammatory markers, and a higher tryptophan breakdown with lower tryptophan concentrations. They reported an impaired QoL and had higher depression scores. Patients with an impaired QoL (65.8%) also suffered from more fatigue and impaired physical, emotional, and social functioning. They, furthermore, presented with higher concentrations of inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein (CRP) and neopterin) as well as higher tryptophan degradation (in men) and higher phenylalanine concentrations (in women). Sixty-one patients (40.1%) had (mostly mild) depression. In these patients, a higher degree of Th1 immune activation was found. The results of our study suggest that cancer-related anemia goes along with an impaired QoL, which is also associated with immune-mediated disturbances of tryptophan and phenylalanine metabolism.

Indexed as

anemiacancerdepressionimmune activationquality of lifetryptophan

Identifiers

PMID33053619
PMCPMC7601852
OpenAlexW3092613176

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.