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Cefepime monotherapy for treatment of febrile neutropenia in children

Ariffin H, Ai CL, Lee CL, Abdullah WA

J Paediatr Child Health, 2006 Dec;42(12):781-4.
PMID: 17096713

Empirical therapy for children with febrile neutropenia has traditionally consisted of combination antibiotics, usually a beta-lactam and an aminoglycoside. However, recent trends and international guidelines have now made monotherapy a feasible option in the management of this group of patients. We prospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of cefepime monotherapy in our population of paediatric cancer patients with febrile neutropenia.

Matched MeSH terms: Neutropenia/drug therapy*
Fulltext Filgrastim and antibiotics treatment reduces neutropenia severity in solid cancer patients

Hassan BA, Yusoff ZB, Othman SB

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2009 Oct-Dec;10(4):641-4.
PMID: 19827886

INTRODUCTION: Neutropenia has a detrimental effect on cancer patients' quality of life, also possibly resulting in a reduction in the chemotherapy dose which could lead to an increment in the size of a cancer. The main danger associated with neutropenia is the risk of bacterial, fungal or viral infection, which may lead to patient death. Treatment including granulocyte-colony stimulating factors (G-CSF, filgrastim) so as to increase the body immunity is given to neutropenic patients with no infection i.e., absence of fever. However, when infection is present, antibiotics such as ceftazidime, imipenem and vancomycin need to be used.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to find the association between neutropenia severity and treatment with filgrastim (Neupogen) alone or in combination with antibiotics in solid cancer patients.

METHODS: This is an observational retrospective study on 117 cases suffering from neutropenia after chemotherapy administration. The patients were admitted to a government hospital for cancer treatment between the years 2003-2006. The types of data collected were categorical and not normally distributed, covering demography, chemotherapy, severity of neutropenia (classified on absolute neutrophil count into mild, moderate and severe) and treatment of neutropenia, either filgrastim (Neupogen) alone or in combination with antibiotics. Statistical tests used were the Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test and logistic regression.

RESULTS: The majority (69.2%) of the patients were treated with filgrastim (81) alone, only 30.8% receiving the combination. Significant associations between both treatments and neutropenia severity. Both Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests showed P= 0.001. Logistic regression showed that filgrastim is the major treatment for severe neutropenic patients since the result showed an infinity (E) and P= 0.001 for filgrastim alone more than its combination with antibiotic.

CONCLUSION: The use of filgrastim is highly associated with treatment of severe neutropenia in solid cancer patients who received chemotherapy. So filgrastim is considered as the drug of choice in the presence of severe neutropenic cases.

Matched MeSH terms: Neutropenia/drug therapy*
Autoimmune thrombocytopenia and neutropenia after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation

Wahid FS, Cheong SK, Sivagengei K

Acta Haematol., 2002;107(4):237-8.
PMID: 12053154
Matched MeSH terms: Neutropenia/drug therapy
Surveillance study of bacteraemic episodes in febrile neutropenic children

Ariffin H, Navaratnam P, Lin HP

Int J Clin Pract, 2002 May;56(4):237-40.
PMID: 12074201

We prospectively studied the type, frequency and outcome of infections in 513 patients with 762 consecutive episodes of febrile neutropenia (FN) over a five-year period between 1995 and 1999 in a single paediatric oncology unit. The findings were then compared with a similar study carried out in our unit between 1990 and 1994. The types of bacterial isolates and sensitivity patterns were also studied to identify trends and to gauge the suitability of antibiotics chosen for empirical therapy. Bacteraemia was documented in 35.4% of FN episodes, although 70% of patients did not have an obvious site of sepsis. The majority of isolates (61.9%) were gram-negative bacteria, a consistent finding throughout the study period. Resistance to ceftazidime, amikacin and imipenem among gram-negative bacteria was 26.3%, 21.2% and 0.7%, respectively. Methicillin resistance among gram-positive bacteria was 26.3%, while no vancomycin-resistant bacteria were encountered. There were 36 sepsis-related deaths. Factors associated with a fatal outome were prolonged capillary refill time, hypotension, fever above 39 degrees C and pneumonia. Rapid neutrophil recovery was associated with a good prognosis. A change to our current choice of empirical antibiotics for FN, comprising ceftazidime/ceftriaxone and amikacin appears necessary because of the relatively high resistance rates found.

Matched MeSH terms: Neutropenia/drug therapy
Fulltext Piperacillin-tazobactam plus amikacin as an initial empirical therapy of febrile neutropenia in paediatric cancer patients

Hamidah A, Rizal AM, Nordiah AJ, Jamal R

Singapore Med J, 2008 Jan;49(1):26-30.
PMID: 18204765

We evaluated piperacillin-tazobactam in association with amikacin in the initial empirical therapy of febrile neutropenic children.

Matched MeSH terms: Neutropenia/drug therapy*
Single-daily ceftriaxone plus amikacin versus thrice-daily ceftazidime plus amikacin as empirical treatment of febrile neutropenia in children with cancer

Ariffin H, Arasu A, Mahfuzah M, Ariffin WA, Chan LL, Lin HP

J Paediatr Child Health, 2001 Feb;37(1):38-43.
PMID: 11168867

OBJECTIVE: Empirical antibiotic treatment for febrile neutropenic patients has been the mainstay of treatment for many years. Beta-lactam antibiotics and aminoglycosides have been the most frequently used drug combination. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, safety, tolerance and costs of single-daily ceftriaxone plus amikacin versus thrice-daily dose of ceftazidime plus amikacin.
METHODOLOGY: One hundred and ninety-one episodes of fever and neutropenia in 128 patients from October 1997 to December 1998 were included in a prospective, open-label, single-centre study. Patients were randomly assigned to either treatment group and evaluated as successes or failures according to defined criteria. Daily assessments were made on all patients and all adverse events recorded. Univariate and multivariate analysis of outcomes and a cost analysis were carried out.
RESULTS: There were 176 evaluable patient-episodes with 51.1% in the single-daily ceftriaxone-amikacin group and 48.9% in the ceftazidime-amikacin group. There were 50 positive blood cultures: 12 Gram-positive bacteria, 33 Gram-negative bacteria and five fungi. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) accounted for 14% of total isolates. The overall success rate was 55.5% in the ceftriaxone group compared to 51.2% in the ceftazidime group (P = 0.56). Mean time to defervescence was 4.2 days in the single-daily group and 4.3 days in the thrice-daily group. There were nine infection-related deaths; five in the single-daily ceftriaxone group. The daily cost of the once-daily regime was 42 Malaysian Ringgit less than the thrice-daily regime. There was a low incidence of adverse effects in both groups, although ototoxicity was not evaluable.
CONCLUSIONS: The once-daily regime of ceftriaxone plus amikacin was as effective as the 'standard' combination of thrice-daily ceftazidime and amikacin with no significant adverse effects in either group. The convenience and substantial cost benefit of the once-daily regime will be particularly useful in developing countries with limited health resources and in centres with a low prevalence of P. aeruginosa.

Matched MeSH terms: Neutropenia/drug therapy*