New blood increases chance of cancer survival

Giving cancer patients transfusions of “young blood” – blood that has been stored for less than nine days – may increase their chances of survival, new research suggests.

Blood transfusion is associated with an increased risk of cancer recurrence in some cancer patients, but why this should be has remained somewhat of a mystery. In an attempt to solve this mystery Professor Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu and colleagues at Tel Aviv University studied the effect of blood transfusion in rat models of leukemia and breast cancer.

Their results showed that blood transfusion was indeed a significant risk factor for cancer progression in both groups of rats, so much so that it doubled their risk of mortality. However, the researchers also discovered that the odds of the animals surviving cancer were only compromised if they were given a transfusion of blood that had been stored for nine or more days.  Further investigations revealed that it made no difference whether the transfused blood was from the animal itself or from a donor; the critical factor was the amount of time the blood had been stored for.

“I don't think this study will or should change the practices of surgeons in hospitals, but it is definitely something that needs to be investigated further in human clinical studies,” said Professor Ben-Eliyahu. “It might have a serious impact on the survival of prostate or colon cancers – two cancers that are associated with a lot of bleeding. If our research proves to be true in human trials, it should revolutionize the way we look at transfusion in cancer patients.”

Shir A, Michal A, Ariella G, et al. Blood Transfusion Promotes Cancer Progression: A Critical Role for Aged Erythrocytes. Anesthesiology 2008;109:989-997. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0b013e31818ddb72

News release: Young Blood Fights Cancer. American Friends of Tel Aviv University. December 30th, 2008.