Home > Encyclopedia of Cancer > Anemia

Description

Anemia is characterized by an abnormally low number of red blood cells in the circulating blood. It frequently affects patients with cancer. In fact, in many cancer diagnoses such as multiple myeloma and acute leukemia, the presence of anemia may be what initially prompts a doctor to suspect an underlying tumor (neoplasm). Whether or not anemia develops depends on the type of cancer found, the treatment employed, as well as the presence or absence of other underlying medical disorders.

Symptoms of malignancy-associated anemia may range from weakness, pallor, and fatigue to shortness of breath and increased heart rate. Symptoms...