Incidence and characteristics of anemia among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Lombok, Indonesia

Abstract

Since the anemia and nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) are a major problem in Indonesia and anemia has become one of the prognostic factors for the treatment of NPC, it is important to analyse the incidence and its characteristics in NPC patients especially in rural areas in Indonesia, such as Lombok. The purpose of this study is to analyse the incidence and the characteristics of anemia in NPC patients in a secondary referral hospital, Lombok, Indonesia. This research was carried out by analytic descriptive study using medical record data from secondary referral hospitals, Lombok, Indonesia. The data were obtained between April 2017 to March 2018. Nasopharyngeal cancer was established through physical examination, imaging, and histopathological examination. The stage of disease was defined according to AJCC 2017. Anemia was defined as Haemoglobin level less than 11 g/dl and the severity level according to WHO criteria. Classification of anemia based on MCV and MCHC are divided into normocytic, microcytic and macrocytic as well as normochromic, hypochromic, and hyperchromic according to the criteria of Chinese Clinical Oncology guideline 2012. There were 40 cases of patient with anemia who fulfil the study criteria, which consist of 30 male and 10 female, with the ratio 3: 1. According to the age, patients were distributed from 13 to 67 years old with the mean age for males was 46 (SD± 11.04) years old while the mean age for female was 50,9 (SD± 12,37) years old. Patients were found in stage II-IV, however, most of them were stage IV (68.75%). There were 87.5% of patients with anemia in different severity levels. However, the highest number was found in mild anemia level (57.5%). Based on the erythrocyte index, the majority types of anemia were hypochromic microcytic and normocytic normochromic (39,3%). The incidence of anemia in a patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma at secondary referral hospitals in Lombok was 87,5%. Most of them were mild and hypochromic microcytic as well as normocytic normochromic type.Since the anemia and nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) are a major problem in Indonesia and anemia has become one of the prognostic factors for the treatment of NPC, it is important to analyse the incidence and its characteristics in NPC patients especially in rural areas in Indonesia, such as Lombok. The purpose of this study is to analyse the incidence and the characteristics of anemia in NPC patients in a secondary referral hospital, Lombok, Indonesia. This research was carried out by analytic descriptive study using medical record data from secondary referral hospitals, Lombok, Indonesia. The data were obtained between April 2017 to March 2018. Nasopharyngeal cancer was established through physical examination, imaging, and histopathological examination. The stage of disease was defined according to AJCC 2017. Anemia was defined as Haemoglobin level less than 11 g/dl and the severity level according to WHO criteria. Classification of anemia based on MCV and MCHC are divided into normocytic, microcytic and m...