Clinical Safety And Efficacy of Iron Supplementation in Cancer Patients

Abstract

It has been widely demonstrated that in patients with chronic diseases or cancer, iron homeostasis may be dysregulated. Iron deficiency with or without anemia is a frequent complication in cancer patients and may be associated, even in the absence of anemia, with weakness, fatigue, and worsening of quality of life, which may ameliorated by iron therapy. The present review will analyze the scientific evidence about iron deficiency diagnosis and management with particular regards with the different formulations of iron available on the market. Iron deficiency is usually treated with oral iron salts, however this approach is very usually accompanied by gastrointestinal side effects, which consequently reduce the compliance with treatment. Interestingly, an innovative oral iron formulation with ferric pyrophosphate covered by a phospholipids plus sucrose esters of fatty acids matrix that, represent a valid option since it is more efficacious and tolerable than oral iron salts and has emerged as a first choice of treatment.