Anemia is a condition that develops when there are insufficient healthy red blood cells in the blood. Anemia in cancer patients observed as a result of the malignancy itself, anti-cancer treatment, blood losses, nutritional deficiencies, hemolysis, endocrine disorders, or an inflammatory cytokine associated with chronic diseases. Anemia is a frequent complication in cancer patients, both at diagnosis and during treatment, with a multifactorial etiology in most cases. The present study included 97 cases diagnosed of solid malignancy. Maximum number of cases were of breast cancer (35.05%) followed by head and neck cancers (28.87%) and gynecological cancers (22.68%). The majority of the anemia in our study was microcytic hypochromic (30.93%) type. It is very much evident that anemia among cancer patients is a major healthcare problem and should be taken seriously. It impacts overall QoL (quality of life) more than is perceived by doctors.

Keywords : Anemia, Cancer.