Research Article

CANCER PATIENTS AND BLOOD TRANSFUSION DEMAND IN A RESOURCE-CONSTRAINED SETTING: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Oiza Tessy Ahmadu1*, Shehu Salihu Umar2, Sani Awwalu3, Albert M. Alfred4, Aminu Bello Liman5, Gaddafi Yusuf6, Mustapha I. Aliyu6, Muhammad Salihu7, Munir Sani7, Arinze A. Mbanusi4, Tajudeen A. Olasinde7
1 Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, FCT, Nigeria
2 Department of Radiology, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
3 Department of Haematology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
4 Southwest Wales Cancer Center, Singleton Hospital, Swansea, United Kingdom
5 Department of Radiation and Clinical Oncology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
6 Department of Radiation and Clinical Oncology, Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina, Katsina State, Nigeria.
7 Department of Radiation and Clinical Oncology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
* Corresponding author: tessyoiza@yahoo.com
Published: Jul, 2025
DOI: 10.67579/njo.2025.rmn9o4hq
Pages: 189-200
Views: 238
Downloads: 127

Abstract

Background: Cancer patients on treatment have anaemia as a common complication resulting from deceased red blood cell production, increased destruction of circulating red blood cells or bleeding from cancer. Blood transfusion in cancer patients is quite frequent as a hospital-based study demonstrated that 34% of blood donated in a health facility were transfused to cancer patients.


Objective: This study aims to assess the indications for, pattern of, and frequency of blood transfusion in cancer patients who received chemotherapy in an oncology specialist center in a low-resource setting.


Methods: The study was a retrospective study carried out on cancer patients who received chemotherapy at the Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria over three and a half years period from September 2016 to March 2020.


Results: The mean age of patients was 46.1 ± 14.8 years with half 78(50.3%) of the participants within the 41-60 years age group and majority 116(74.5%) were females. The average baseline haemoglobin level of the patients was 9.88 ±2.15 g/dl and the average drop in haemoglobin from baseline to first transfusion was 1.25g/dl. There was an average of 3.92 units of blood transfused, with an average of 2.13 transfusion events. The average units of blood transfused per transfusion event was 1.84 while the Transfusion Severity Index (TSI) was 4.88.


Conclusion: The study found a high incidence of baseline and chemotherapy induced anaemia in cancer patients. The patients received frequent blood transfusion due to anaemia as indicated by a high transfusion severity index of 4.88. There is need for use of guidelines to streamline transfusion needs and increase the use of alternatives to blood transfusion so as to reduce the demand on blood transfusion and the accompanying adverse effects in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.


Keywords

Cancer patients blood transfusion low resource

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How to Cite

Ahmadu, O. T., Umar, S. S., Awwalu, S., Alfred, A. M., Liman, A. B., Yusuf, G., Aliyu, M. I., Salihu, M., Sani, M., Mbanusi, A. A., & Olasinde, T. A. (2025). CANCER PATIENTS AND BLOOD TRANSFUSION DEMAND IN A RESOURCE-CONSTRAINED SETTING: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY. Nigerian Journal of Oncology, 1(2), 189-200. https://doi.org/10.67579/njo.2025.rmn9o4hq

O. T. Ahmadu, S. S. Umar, S. Awwalu, A. M. Alfred, A. B. Liman, G. Yusuf, M. I. Aliyu, M. Salihu, M. Sani, A. A. Mbanusi, and T. A. Olasinde, "CANCER PATIENTS AND BLOOD TRANSFUSION DEMAND IN A RESOURCE-CONSTRAINED SETTING: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY," Nigerian Journal of Oncology, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 189-200, July 2025. doi: 10.67579/njo.2025.rmn9o4hq

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