Haemorheological Changes in Cancer Patients on Chemotherapy

Objective: To assess the rheological changes in haematological and non-haematological cancer patients’ pre and post chemotherapy. Patients and Method: It is a prospective study of 50 patients comprising 16(32%) haematological and 34(68%) non-haematological cancers of various types from March to December 2005 at University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Rheologic parameters estimated by the various specific diagnostic methods were determined in cancer patient’s pre and post chemotherapy. The rheological tests estimated were relative plasma viscosity (RPV) measured by means of a capillary viscometer, whole blood viscosity (WBV), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and plasma fibrinogen concentration (PFC) estimated by the Ingram’s Clot weight method. Results: The RPV in pre chemotherapy (p=0.006) and WBV in post chemotherapy (p=0.0231) patients measured revealed a significant difference when compared to controls. The fibrinogen concentration (P<0.0001) and ESR values (P<0.0001) were significantly increased in cancer patients when compared to controls. Conclusion: We conclude that total reduction of hyperviscosity and hyperfibrinogenaemia may contribute to effective treatment strategies in cancer patients.