Risk-adapted Strategy for the Management of Febrile Neutropenia in Cancer Patients

Overview

Journal Support Care Cancer

Specialties Critical Care
Oncology

Date 2007 Feb 13

PMID 17294227

Citations 7

Authors

Jean Klastersky

Marianne Paesmans

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Among patients who develop fever and neutropenia after having received cancer chemotherapy, we have to distinguish at least three categories of risk levels for complications and death: patients at low risk and eligible for oral treatment and possibly outpatient management, patients at low risk who require intravenous therapy, and patients at higher risk.

Results And Discussion: The Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer scoring system identifies patients at low risk (<5%) of severe complications with very low mortality (<1%) during an episode of febrile neutropenia; this group represents roughly 70% of an unselected population of patients with febrile neutropenia. A significant percentage (approximately 50%) of these patients are eligible for treatment with orally administered antibiotics and can be discharged early and safely from the hospital after a short (24-48 h) observation period.

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