Obeagu Emmanuel Ifeanyi, Obeagu Getrude Uzoma
Department of Biomedical and Laboratory Science, Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe.
School of Nursing Science, Kampala International University, Ishaka, Uganda.
Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2025 May 21;87(6):3327-3338. doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000003020. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Breast cancer remains a leading global health concern, with significant strides made in early detection and treatment. However, effective long-term surveillance, particularly for recurrence and metastasis, remains a clinical challenge. Traditional methods like imaging and biopsy are often invasive, costly, and have limited sensitivity in detecting subtle changes during disease progression. Emerging evidence suggests that hematocrit-based metrics - measurements of the proportion of red blood cells (RBCs) in blood - could serve as valuable, minimally invasive biomarkers for monitoring breast cancer. This review highlights recent advancements in hematocrit-focused research and its potential role in revolutionizing breast cancer surveillance. Hematocrit dynamics reflect complex physiological processes influenced by cancer biology, including inflammation, angiogenesis, and treatment-induced bone marrow suppression. Alterations in hematocrit levels have been associated with prognostic outcomes, treatment responses, and early indications of recurrence in breast cancer patients. Coupled with other hematological and molecular markers, hematocrit offers a cost-effective and readily accessible tool to track disease status in real time. Recent technological innovations, such as point-of-care testing, artificial intelligence-driven data analysis, and microfluidic devices, are further advancing the applicability of hematocrit-based metrics in both clinical and remote monitoring settings.
乳腺癌仍然是全球主要的健康问题，尽管在早期检测和治疗方面取得了重大进展。然而，有效的长期监测，尤其是针对复发和转移的监测，仍然是一项临床挑战。像成像和活检这样的传统方法通常具有侵入性、成本高，并且在检测疾病进展过程中的细微变化时灵敏度有限。新出现的证据表明，基于血细胞比容的指标——测量血液中红细胞（RBC）的比例——可以作为监测乳腺癌的有价值的、微创生物标志物。这篇综述强调了以血细胞比容为重点的研究的最新进展及其在彻底改变乳腺癌监测方面的潜在作用。血细胞比容动态反映了受癌症生物学影响的复杂生理过程，包括炎症、血管生成和治疗引起的骨髓抑制。血细胞比容水平的变化与乳腺癌患者的预后结果、治疗反应和复发的早期迹象有关。与其他血液学和分子标志物相结合，血细胞比容提供了一种经济高效且易于获取的工具，可实时跟踪疾病状态。最近的技术创新，如即时检测、人工智能驱动的数据分析和微流控设备，正在进一步提高基于血细胞比容的指标在临床和远程监测环境中的适用性。
