What type of cancer causes low hemoglobin?

What type of cancer causes low hemoglobin?

Anemia is the most frequent hematological manifestation in patients with cancer. Typically, anemia in such patients is multifactorial, resulting directly from the myelosuppressive effect of chemotherapy and from complications related to the underlying disease (5). What type of cancer causes low hemoglobin?

The types of cancer most often associated with low hemoglobin include:

• Blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma
• Cancers that are associated with blood loss, such as colon cancer and cervical cancer

But if we want to give a general answer to the question of what type of cancer causes low hemoglobin, it can be said almost all of them!

In fact, nearly every cancer can metastasize, or spread from where it started to the bone marrow. Then, like leukemia and lymphoma, they could affect the number of blood cells your bone marrow makes.

Causes of anemia that are related to cancer (either due to cancer itself or due to treatments for cancer) include:

– Bone marrow replacement: Some cancers, such as lymphomas or metastases from breast cancer, can invade the bone marrow and replace the bone marrow cells which make red blood cells.

– Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy can induce anemia.

– Cytokines: High levels of cytokines related to some cancers can slow the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow.

– Change in diet: Cancer itself can cause a poor appetite, which can result in nutritional deficiencies leading to anemia. In addition to affecting the bone marrow, chemotherapy can cause symptoms such as mouth sores, taste changes, and loss of appetite that can lead to anemia.

– Hemolytic anemia: This can occur in people without cancer but is particularly common in people with lymphomas. (6)

The duration and severity of anemia seem to be related to the type of cancer, the extent of disease, and the myelosuppressive potency of chemotherapy (5).

If your question is, what type of cancer causes low hemoglobin? You can enter your cbc test results online and get a personalized interpretation, including your condition in each test, definition, reasons for increased or decreased results, dietary and lifestyle recommendations, potential treatments, drug interactions, etc.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

Hemoglobin (Hb) is the iron-containing protein in red blood cells that is essential for O2 transport in mammals. To ensure adequate tissue oxygenation, a sufficient hemoglobin level must be maintained. The normal ranges are approximately 140 to 175 grams per liter in men and 123 to 153 grams per liter in women. Normal results for children vary based on age and gender:

· 6 months to 2 years                         110 to 135 (g/L)

· 2-6 years                                            110 to 137

· 6-12 years                                          112 to 145

·  12 to <18 years:

Female                                114 to 147

Male                                    124 to 164 (1,2,7)

If your hemoglobin level is lower than normal, you have anemia. Basically, only three causes of anemia exist blood loss, increased destruction, and decreased production of RBCs (4).

References:

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29126700/
2. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/image?imageKey=PEDS%2F101544
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK259/#:~:text=To%20ensure%20adequate%20tissue%20oxygenation,low%2C%20the%20patient%20has%20anemia.
4. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/198475-overview#a5
5. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/740469_1
6. https://www.verywellhealth.com/anemia-and-cancer-797397#:~:text=Hemoglobin%20is%20a%20protein%20in,colon%20cancer%20and%20cervical%20cancer
7. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/image?imageKey=HEME%2F76236