Autologous blood transfusion (ABT) does not increase the risk of biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy (RP), according to a report in the December issue of BJU International.
Previous reports have suggested that blood transfusion contributes to unfavorable outcomes in such cancers as esophageal, colon, and breast cancer, the authors explain, but results of studies on the effects of blood transfusion in the context of RP have been mixed.
Dr. Pierre I. Karakiewicz from the University of Montreal Health Center, Quebec, Canada and colleagues examined the hypothesis that ABT might increase the risk of biochemical recurrence in 1291 European men with prostate cancer treated with RP.
The rate of biochemical recurrence after a median follow-up of 40.9 months after RP was 26.9% overall, the authors report.
Perioperative ABT was given to 205 of the patients. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a higher rate of biochemical recurrence among men who received an ABT, the report indicates, but the difference was not quite statistically significant (p=0.053).
Moreover, a multivariate model showed ABT not to be an independent predictor of biochemical recurrence, though the other recognized contributors to recurrence were independently associated with biochemical recurrence.
"The present findings are consistent with previously published reports that showed no statistically significant differences in recurrence rates after RP in patients who received ABT versus homologous blood transfusion," the investigators point out. "ABT has no effect on the rate of biochemical recurrence, and thus when higher blood loss is anticipated, ABT represents a safe method which should not be avoided."
BJU Int 2007;100:1249-1253.
