Blood salvage and cancer surgery: should we do it?

Abstract

In this edition of TRANSFUSION,1 a case series is presented where blood salvage was used during surgery for gynecologic malignancy. Commonly, blood salvage is avoided in cancer surgery due to a fear of creating disseminated metastasis from incorporating cancer cells into the shed blood and reinfusing them directly into circulation. In the case series presented here, diffuse metastasis did not arise shortly thereafter. While a case series does not prove the safety of this technology during oncologic surgery, it does provide an opportunity to review the data regarding this contraindication.