OBJECTIVE: To study whether hematologic malignancy patients with anemia have a lower erythropoietin (EPO) response. METHODS: Serum EPO levels were detected by ELISA in patients with hematologic malignancies and with iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Eighty patients with hematologic malignancies, including 13 multiple myeloma (MM), 7 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and 60 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were studied. Thirty of them had anemia(21 NHL,6 MM and 3 CLL). Twenty patients with IDA were studied as the control. RESULTS: Hematologic malignancy patients with anemia had higher EPO levels [(97.8 +/- 183.9) IU/L] than those with normal Hb values [(27.8 +/- 85.4) IU/L; P <0.01]. In patients with IDA, serum EPO response was inversely correlated with Hb level (r= -0.5, P <0.05) , but no such inverse correlation was found in the hematologic malignancy patients with anemia (r = -0.14). After corrected for Hb level, the serum EPO levels were significantly lower in anemic patients with hematologic malignancies than in IDA patients (P = 0.032) , indicating a decreased EPO response in the former group. CONCLUSION: Anemia associated with hematologic malignancy might result from an inappropriately low EPO response. EPO treatment for these patients may be beneficial.
OBJECTIVE: To study whether hematologic malignancypatients with anemia have a lower erythropoietin (EPO) response. METHODS: Serum EPO levels were detected by ELISA in patients with hematologic malignancies and with iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Eighty patients with hematologic malignancies, including 13 multiple myeloma (MM), 7 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and 60 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were studied. Thirty of them had anemia(21 NHL,6 MM and 3 CLL). Twenty patients with IDA were studied as the control. RESULTS:Hematologic malignancypatients with anemia had higher EPO levels [(97.8 +/- 183.9) IU/L] than those with normal Hb values [(27.8 +/- 85.4) IU/L; P <0.01]. In patients with IDA, serum EPO response was inversely correlated with Hb level (r= -0.5, P <0.05) , but no such inverse correlation was found in the hematologic malignancypatients with anemia (r = -0.14). After corrected for Hb level, the serum EPO levels were significantly lower in anemicpatients with hematologic malignancies than in IDA patients (P = 0.032) , indicating a decreased EPO response in the former group. CONCLUSION:Anemia associated with hematologic malignancy might result from an inappropriately low EPO response. EPO treatment for these patients may be beneficial.