R Ruthemmimal, R Suresh, V Eswari
Introduction: Haemotological abnormalities, especially anaemia, are frequent in patients with solid tumours and may affect performance status, treatment tolerance and overall clinical outcome. A Complete Blood Count (CBC) is a low-cost baseline investigation that can identify anaemia, leukocyte abnormalities and platelet changes at the time of diagnosis. Aim: To assess the spectrum of CBC abnormalities among patients with non haemotological malignancies and to evaluate their association with anaemia status and the cancer site. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pathology, Meenakshi Medical College and Hospital and Research Institute, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India, from October 2025 to March 2026. Retrospective analysis was done from January 2023 to September 2025. Records of 200 patients with histopathologically confirmed non haemotological malignancies were reviewed. Demographic details, cancer site, baseline Haemoglobin (Hb) level, total White Blood Cell (WBC) count, Differential Leukocyte Count (DLC) and platelet count were collected before initiation of treatment. Anaemia was defined according to World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria (males: Hb<13 g/dL; females: Hb<12 g/dL). Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0. Independent samples t-test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used as appropriate, and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age was 57.72±12.56 years. Among 200 patients, 104 (52.0%) were female, and 96 (48.0%) were male. Gastrointestinal tract malignancies were most frequent, 73/200 (36.5%), followed by breast 37/200 (18.5%) and head and neck cancers 31/200 (15.5%). Using WHO gender-specific criteria, anaemia was present in 121/200 patients (60.5%); it was observed in 52/104 females (50.0%) and 69/96 (71.88%). Moderate anaemia was the most common severity group, seen in 84/121 anaemic patients (69.4%). After multipletest adjustment, none of the evaluated leukocyte or platelet parameters was significantly affected by anaemia status. Across cancer sites, no statistically significant differences were observed in Hb, DLC, total WBC or platelet count. In contrast, blood-picture categories showed significant differences in Hb, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, total WBC and platelet count. Conclusion: Baseline CBC testing identified a substantial burden of anaemia and selected leukocyte-pattern differences in patients with non haematological malignancies. Correct application of gender-specific WHO criteria is essential for accurate anaemia classification. Routine haematological screening at diagnosis can support early risk assessment, correction of anaemia and treatment planning.