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Anemia, a common blood disorder, may be a major risk factor for developing cancer.
That’s according to new research from Sweden, which sought to discover whether newly developed anemia is an early warning sign of cancer or death from any cause.
The study, published in BMJ Journals, looked at registry data from more than 380,000 Swedish adults – half were people with new-onset anemia and the other half were the same age and gender, but did not have anemia.
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All participants were over 18 years old and cancer-free at the start of the study.
The results showed that people with incident anemia – new cases occurring over a specific period – had a significantly higher chance of being diagnosed with cancer, especially in the first three months, according to a press release. This included 6.2% of men and 2.8% of women.
Individuals with anemia also had a much higher chance of death during the 18-month follow-up.
Specific types of anemia were individually linked to disease progression and mortality, the researchers discovered.
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Microcytic anemia – where the red blood cells are smaller than normal – was more frequently linked to cancer, especially types of disease that impact the digestive system and the blood.
Macrocytic anemia, a type of anemia where the red blood cells are larger than normal, was more strongly linked to overall mortality than cancer.
The researchers concluded in the study that new-onset anemia is a “strong and sustained risk marker” for both incident cancer and all-cause mortality.
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Lead study author Elinor Nemlander, researcher at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society at the Karolinska Institutet, commented on the findings in a press release from the Swedish medical university.
“We found that both the risk of cancer and the risk of death are highest during the first months after anemia is detected, but that the increased risk persists later during follow-up as well,” she said. “Our findings suggest that anemia may be a sign of underlying disease rather than a condition in its own right.”
Speaking with Fox News Digital, Nemlander noted that measures like red blood cell size are already “routinely available” in primary care, and that the study highlights how this existing data can be used to identify early risk.
“At the same time, the elevated risks persist over time, underscoring the need for structured follow-up and clear plans for continued evaluation, even when cancer is not initially identified,” she said.
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As the study was observational, it shows an association, but does not prove that anemia causes cancer or death.
The research also did not measure for all causes of anemia, including alcohol use, malnutrition, chronic liver disease, inflammatory conditions and gynecological blood loss.
“Some of the results may also be influenced by who gets tested, underlying illnesses and differences in how anemia is evaluated in different healthcare settings,” Nemlander added.