Workup of anemia in cancer.

Anemia is a common diagnosis in patients with cancer that may affect both quality of life and survival. Anemia in this patient population is often multifactorial, caused by direct effects of the malignancy, products secondary to the malignancy, the effects of treatment, or other factors. Therefore, a systematic approach is required to determine the true cause or causes of anemia. An appropriate workup of anemia in patients with cancer can lead to treatment with the potential to reduce transfusion needs and improve quality of life. The clinical benefit of these interventions for specific patients must be weighed against possible risk.