Pre-treatment anemia among cervical cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Anemia is a condition described by decreased red blood cell numbers or low hemoglobin levels. Early identification and management of pretreatment anemia play a major role in enhancing patient outcomes and quality of life. Due to a lack of synthesized information, this review was aimed at systematically collecting and synthesizing the available evidence on pretreatment anemia in people with cervical cancer worldwide. Methods Our review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2020 checklist to present the finding. An extensive search of literature was conducted through databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Hinari, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools were used to carry out the quality assessment. By employing a random effects model, the pooled magnitude with a 95% confidence interval was calculated. Heterogeneity among the included studies was evaluated using I 2 tests. To investigate the existence of publication bias, the funnel plot, regression-based Egger, and nonparametric rank correlation (Beg) tests were employed. Results In this review, eleven studies involving 4910 participants were included. The combined prevalence of pretreatment anemia among cervical cancer patients was 49.31% (95% CI: 36.26, 62.36, I2 = 61.3%; P < 0.001). According to sub group analysis by geographical distribution and publication year, pretreatment anemia was more common in the Africa area (51%) and from 2006 to 2015 (52%), respectively. Conclusion Pretreatment anemia among cervical cancer patients is a severe worldwide public health issue. Almost one in two individuals was anemic before starting treatment. Therefore, it is crucial to focus more on designing strategies to prevent anemia via early diagnosis, given that the consequences of anemia may result in a poor prognosis. Registration Protocol registration number is: CRD42023466270.