Iron Supplementation Effectively Ameliorates Anemia and Reduces the Need for Blood Transfusion in Patients Undergoing Colorectal Cancer Surgery: A Meta-Analysis.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy of iron supplementation in improving hemoglobin concentrations and reducing the need for blood transfusions in colorectal cancer surgery patients.
Results Summary
The meta-analysis found that iron supplementation effectively increased hemoglobin levels and reduced the need for blood transfusions in colorectal cancer surgery patients. The pooled results showed a statistically significant improvement in hemoglobin concentrations.
Population
Patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
iron supplementation | increase | hemoglobin concentrations (Hb) | CRC surgery patients | MD 0.41; 95% CI: 0.12, 0.69 | effectively increased | #1 |
iron supplementation | decrease | blood transfusion (BT) | CRC surgery patients | - | reducing the need for | #2 |
iron supplementation | decrease | anemia | CRC surgery patients | - | effective in ameliorating | #3 |
OBJECTIVE: Anemia is common and harmful in patients undergoing colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery. Blood transfusion (BT) is used to treat anemia, but results in a poor oncology prognosis. Iron supplementation may be effective in improving anemia and reducing the need for BT, however, the results remain controversial. This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of iron supplementation in improving hemoglobin concentrations (Hb) and reducing the need for BT. METHODS: Up to February 10, 2021, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase databases were searched for studies evaluating the effects of iron supplementation on CRC surgery patients. Meta-analysis was conduct using the random-effects model. RESULTS: Seven trials with 879 participants in total were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled findings suggested that iron supplementation effectively increased Hb (MD 0.41; 95% CI: 0.12, 0.69, CONCLUSION: Iron supplementation is effective in ameliorating anemia and reducing the need for BT in CRC surgery patients.