Aplastic anemia associated with severe hemorrhagic cystitis following radiotherapy for prostate cancer

Mol Clin Oncol. 2016 May;4(5):794-796. doi: 10.3892/mco.2016.791. Epub 2016 Feb 25.

Abstract

Hemorrhagic cystitis is a rare complication following radiotherapy for intrapelvic cancer types, including cervical cancer, bladder cancer and prostate cancer. The severity of hemorrhagic cystitis is different in each case, although symptoms improve spontaneously in certain cases, and often significant morbidity requiring numerous interventions occurs. Since no treatment strategy exists with high evidences for such severe hemorrhagic cystitis, urologists have difficulty in solving the bleeding and pain, which the patients suffer. Aplastic anemia is a rare blood disorder, with an incidence reported as 2/1 million individuals annually. Patients have a risk of diffuse bleeding for presentation with anemia, thrombocytopenia and neutropenia. The present report presented a case of severe hemorrhagic cystitis remitted successfully by the treatment for underlying aplastic anemia.

Keywords: aplastic anemia; hemorrhagic cystitis; prostate cancer; radiation cystitis; radiotherapy.