Abstract
ANEMIA may occur during the course of chronic lymphatic leukemia. The study of erythrokinetics has revealed that the development of this anemia may be due to decreased erythropoiesis with normal or increased red blood cell destruction or loss. There is little understanding of the reason for the failure of leukemic marrow to provide adequate erythropoiesis. A metabolic competition between developing red blood cells and pathological white cells has been suggested. 1 Because of the stimulation of erythropoiesis produced by androgenic hormones, androgens were administered to patients with lymphatic leukemia. In patients with advanced breast cancer, androgenic hormones produced reticulocytosis, normoblastic hyperplasia of the bone marrow, and an increase in hemoglobin even to polycythemic values (Fig 1). 2,3 Because of these observations, androgens were employed in the treatment of a variety of anemias. 3-5 Improvements were noted in aplastic anemia, refractory anemia, myelofibrosis, and various diseases with erythroid hypoplasia. During a
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