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. 2023 Aug 24;30(9):7836-7851.
doi: 10.3390/curroncol30090569.

Intravenous Iron Therapy to Treat Anemia in Oncology: A Mapping Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Jayne Lim  1 , Michael Auerbach  2 , Beth MacLean  1 , Annas Al-Sharea  1 , Toby Richards  1
Affiliations

Intravenous Iron Therapy to Treat Anemia in Oncology: A Mapping Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Jayne Lim et al. Curr Oncol. .

Abstract

Anemia is a common problem when patients present with cancer, and it can worsen during treatment. Anemia can directly impact the cognitive and physical quality of life and may impair fitness for oncological therapy. The most common cause of anemia is iron deficiency. Newer intravenous (IV) iron formulations offer a safe and rapidly effective treatment option. We performed a systematic mapping review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating intravenous iron therapy in patients with cancer and anemia and their outcomes. A total of 23 RCTs were identified. The median number of patients enrolled was 104 (IQR: 60-134). A total of 5 were focused on surgical outcomes (4 preoperative, 1 postoperative), and 15 were in adjuvant therapies for a variety of tumor types (breast, colorectal, lung, gynecological, myeloid, and lymphomas), 10 of which were in combination with erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs) therapy, 2 in radiotherapy, and 1 in palliative care. Overall, the studies reported that the use of IV iron increased hemoglobin concentration and decreased transfusion rates during different cancer treatment regimes. IV iron can be administered safely throughout the cancer treatment pathway from primary surgery to the palliative setting. More studies are needed to demonstrate net clinical outcomes.

Keywords: anemia; mapping; oncology; randomized controlled trials.

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Conflict of interest statement

M.A. reports receiving funding from Covis Pharma for data management, and honoraria and meeting support from Pharmacosmos for educational and nonpromotional programs. TR reports grants from NHMRC, Vifor Pharma, and Pharmacosmos. Other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A general overview of the cancer treatment journey. Created with BioRender.com accessed on 8 May 2023.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews flowchart of the study selection process.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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