The Effect of Erythropoietin on Tumor Oxygenation in Normal and Anemic Rats

Anemia associated with malignancy is a common clinical problem. Its etiology is varied and includes nutritional causes, hemorrhage, hemolysis, bone marrow metastasis and hypoplasia, paraneoplastic syndromes, and chemotherapy1, with many patients presenting with anemia even before they receive cytotoxic therapy and even if their bone marrow is not invaded by tumor cells2. The response of tumors to standard radiotherapy and oxygen-dependent chemotherapy in these patients is often less satisfactory than in subjects with normal hemoglobin levels3. This is presumed to be due to the worsening of tumor oxygenation as a result of the decreased oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood in these anemic t…