BACKGROUND: Anemia affects up to 90% of cancer patients, with more than 60% requiring blood transfusion during or after treatment. AIM: To determine the influence of the allogeneic blood transfusion as a possible related factor to infection in patients with malignant neoplasms of the gastrointestinal system. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Charts of 400 oncological patients were randomly selected and divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 200) - patients submitted to allogeneic blood transfusion and group 2 (n = 200) - non transfused patients. Both groups were evaluated and compared according to the presence and type of infection and a possible association with age, sex, types of tumors and therapeutics approach. RESULTS: The relation between infection and blood transfusion, as well as age, sex, management and type of presented tumors were not significant. There was no difference in the incidence of infection between the non transfused patients (28) and those submitted to allogeneic blood transfusion (31). CONCLUSIONS: In the present investigation allogeneic blood transfusion was apparently not related to development of infection in patients with malignant gastrointestinal tumors.
Blood transfusion; Opportunistic infections; Immunosuppression; Digestive system neoplasms
