Abstract
Purpose
The extent and severity of hemoglobin decline after the initiation of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is unclear, and predictors of hemoglobin decline in older men with prostate cancer (PC) are not well-characterized.
Methods
Three cohorts were recruited in this prospective study to evaluate the impact of ADT and other factors on hemoglobin decline. Cohorts included ADT users initiating continuous ADT, PC controls, and healthy controls, matched on age and education. All patients with PC had non-metastatic disease. Univariate and multivariable associations between changes in hemoglobin over 12 months and baseline characteristics were evaluated using linear regression models.
Results
We included 250 men (mean age 69 years). The baseline mean hemoglobin was 141 g/L in ADT users, 144 g/L in PC controls, and 149 g/L in healthy controls (p < 0.001). Over 12 months, the mean hemoglobin level declined in ADT users by 8.9 g/L, compared to 0.56 and 2.03 g/L among PC controls and healthy controls, respectively (p < 0.001). Statistically significant predictors of greater hemoglobin decline included ADT use (p < 0.001), lower activities of daily living score (p < 0.001), higher Charlson comorbidity score (p = 0.02), higher baseline hemoglobin level (p < 0.001), and non-White race (p = 0.04) but not age (p = 0.50).
Conclusions
In men with non-metastatic prostate cancer, ADT was independently associated with a decline in hemoglobin level over 12 months. Other predictors of declining hemoglobin included comorbidity, functional status, baseline hemoglobin level, and race. These findings may help clinicians identify patients starting ADT who would benefit from closer hemoglobin monitoring.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Canadian Cancer Society (2009) Canadian cancer statistics 2009. Canadian Cancer Society, Toronto
Asbell SO, Leon SA, Tester WJ, Brereton HD, Ago CT, Rotman M (1996) Development of anemia and recovery in prostate cancer patients treated with combined androgen blockade and radiotherapy. Prostate 29:243–248
Beer TM, Tangen CM, Bland LB, Hussain M, Goldman BH, DeLoughery TG et al (2006) The prognostic value of hemoglobin change after initiating androgen-deprivation therapy for newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer: a multivariate analysis of Southwest Oncology Group Study 8894. Cancer 107:489–496
Bland JM, Altman DG (1994) Regression towards mean. Bmj 308:1499
Bylow K, Mohile SG, Stadler WM, Dale W (2007) Does androgen-deprivation therapy accelerate the development of frailty in older men with prostate cancer?: a conceptual review. Cancer 110:2604–2613
Chander S, Choo R, Danjoux C, Morton G, Pearse A, Deboer G et al (2005) Effect of androgen suppression on hemoglobin in prostate cancer patients undergoing salvage radiotherapy plus 2-year buserelin acetate for rising PSA after surgery. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 62:719–724
Charlson ME, Pompei P, Ales KL, MacKenzie CR (1987) A new method of classifying prognostic comorbidity in longitudinal studies: development and validation. J Chron Dis 40:373–383
Choo R, Chander S, Danjoux C, Morton G, Pearce A, Deboer G et al (2005) How are hemoglobin levels affected by androgen deprivation in non-metastatic prostate cancer patients? Can J Urol 12:2547–2552
den Elzen WP, Willems JM, Westendorp RG, de Craen AJ, Assendelft WJ, Gussekloo J (2009) Effect of anemia and comorbidity on functional status and mortality in old age: results from the Leiden 85-plus Study. Cmaj 181:151–157
Fonseca R, Rajkumar SV, White WL, Tefferi A, Hoagland HC (1998) Anemia after orchiectomy. Am J Hematol 59:230–233
Harrell FE Jr (2001) Multivariable modeling strategies. In: Harrell FE Jr (ed) Regression modeling strategies: with applications to linear models, logistic regression, and survival analysis. Springer, New York, pp 53–86
Hoffman RM, Gilliland FD, Eley JW, Harlan LC, Stephenson RA, Stanford JL et al (2001) Racial and ethnic differences in advanced-stage prostate cancer: the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study. J Natl Cancer Inst 93:388–395
Holzbeierlein JM (2006) Managing complications of androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. Urol Clin North Am 33:181–190, vi
Jemal A, Siegel R, Ward E, Hao Y, Xu J, Thun MJ (2009) Cancer statistics. CA Cancer J Clin 59:225–249
Lawton MP, Brody EM (1969) Assessment of older people: self-maintaining and instrument activities of daily living. Gerontologist 9:179–186
Loblaw DA, Virgo KS, Nam R, Somerfield MR, Ben-Josef E, Mendelson DS et al (2007) Initial hormonal management of androgen-sensitive metastatic, recurrent, or progressive prostate cancer: 2006 update of an American Society of Clinical Oncology practice guideline. J Clin Oncol 25:1596–1605
Mahoney FI, Barthel DW (1965) Functional evaluation: the Barthel Index. Md State Med J 14:61–65
Maraldi C, Volpato S, Cesari M, Cavalieri M, Onder G, Mangani I et al (2006) Anemia and recovery from disability in activities of daily living in hospitalized older persons. J Am Geriatr Soc 54:632–636
Mettlin CJ, Murphy GP, Cunningham MP, Menck HR (1997) The national cancer data base report on race, age, and region variations in prostate cancer treatment. Cancer 80:1261–1266
Nalesnik JG, Mysliwiec AG, Canby-Hagino E (2004) Anemia in men with advanced prostate cancer: incidence, etiology, and treatment. Rev Urol 6:1–4
Nishiyama T, Ishizaki F, Anraku T, Shimura H, Takahashi K (2005) The influence of androgen deprivation therapy on metabolism in patients with prostate cancer. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 90:657–660
Rothman KJ (1990) No adjustments are needed for multiple comparisons. Epidemiology 1:43–46
Saad F, Gleason DM, Murray R, Tchekmedyian S, Venner P, Lacombe L et al (2002) A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of zoledronic acid in patients with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate carcinoma. J Natl Cancer Inst 94:1458–1468
Strum SB, McDermed JE, Scholz MC, Johnson H, Tisman G (1997) Anaemia associated with androgen deprivation in patients with prostate cancer receiving combined hormone blockade. Br J Urol 79:933–941
Zarychanski R, Houston DS (2008) Anemia of chronic disease: a harmful disorder or an adaptive, beneficial response? Cmaj 179:333–337
Acknowledgments
We are very grateful to all study participants for their contributions to this study and the Canadian Cancer Society for funding this study.
Conflict of interest
None declared
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Timilshina, N., Hussain, S., Breunis, H. et al. Predictors of hemoglobin decline in non-metastatic prostate cancer patients on androgen deprivation therapy: a matched cohort study. Support Care Cancer 19, 1815–1821 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-010-1023-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-010-1023-6