Results of high-risk neutropenia therapy of hematology-oncology patients in a university hospital in Uruguay

Does age play a role in fever and neutropenia events and complications: A comparison of adolescents versus younger children with cancer at a tertiary care pediatric hospital, a pilot project

BACKGROUND

Adolescents and young adults with cancer (AYA) are a complex group of patients. The development of fever and neutropenia (FN) is a potentially lethal complication of chemotherapy. Risk stratification of patients with FN has become increasingly valuable allowing for early intervention and to guide treatment type and duration appropriately. There are risk stratification guidelines that exist, but most are validated in young children with cancer (YCWC). AYA are frequently shown to have more numerous and severe side effects from chemotherapy.

AIMS

This study aimed to identify whether age contributes to the incidence and severity of FN.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Patients diagnosed with a malignancy in a 5-year period at our institution were included from ages 0-18 years. We reviewed details of their FN events, including duration of hospital admission, source (bacterial/fungal), PICU admission and duration, positive blood cultures and mortality. Adolescents with cancer (AWC) had a trend of being 1.56 times more likely to have FN events (CI 95% 0.936-2.622, p = 0.087). Assessment of the duration of PICU stay showed that AWC were 4.9 times more likely to have longer admissions (CI 95% 0.998-24.067, p = 0.050). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the rate of PICU admission, positive cultures, identification of a bacterial or fungal source, hospital admission duration or mortality from FN.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated a trend towards AWC being more likely to develop FN events. When such events occur in this group, the severity of them may be heightened as evidenced by longer duration of PICU admission.

Impact of cardiovascular comorbidities on inpatient mortality in patients hospitalized with neutropenic fever

INTRODUCTION

Concomitant cardiovascular comorbidities in patients with cancer are not uncommon. There is limited data on the impact of cardiovascular comorbidities on in-hospital mortality in patients admitted with neutropenic fever.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cohort study using the 2016 NIS database of adults (> 18 years old) hospitalized for neutropenic fever as the primary diagnosis. The primary outcome studied is all-cause mortality in patients with neutropenic fever. ICD-10-CM codes were used to identify cardiovascular risk factors including smoking; hyperlipidemia; peripheral vascular diseases; hypertension; history of cerebrovascular disease or transient ischemic attack; and cardiovascular morbidities including atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, and congestive heart failure. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to adjust for cofounders.

RESULTS

A total of 28,060 patients were admitted with neutropenic fever in 2016. Average age was 43.9 ± 1.7 years, and 49.3% were females. Among the cases identified, 205 patients died during hospitalization with an overall in-hospital mortality of 0.7%. Atrial fibrillation was independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR] 3.01; CI 1.38 to 6.57; p = 0.005) as was congestive heart failure (OR 3.15; CI 1.08 to 10.14; p = 0.049).

CONCLUSION

Atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure were associated with higher inpatient mortality in patients with neutropenic fever. Identifying the risk factors for increased mortality in patients with neutropenic fever is important for risk stratification and guiding clinicians in taking therapeutic decisions in this set of patients.

Outcomes of hospitalized hematologic oncology patients receiving rapid response system activation for acute deterioration

BACKGROUND

Patients with hematologic malignancies who are admitted to hospital are at increased risk of deterioration and death. Rapid response systems (RRSs) respond to hospitalized patients who clinically deteriorate. We sought to describe the characteristics and outcomes of hematologic oncology inpatients requiring rapid response system (RRS) activation, and to determine the prognostic accuracy of the SIRS and qSOFA criteria for in-hospital mortality of hematologic oncology patients with suspected infection.

METHODS

We used registry data from two hospitals within The Ottawa Hospital network, between 2012 and 2016. Consecutive hematologic oncology inpatients who experienced activation of the RRS were included in the study. Data was gathered at the time of RRS activation and assessment. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Logistical regression was used to evaluate for predictors of in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

We included 401 patients during the study period. In-hospital mortality for all included patients was 41.9% (168 patients), and 145 patients (45%) were admitted to ICU following RRS activation. Among patients with suspected infection at the time of RRS activation, Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria had a sensitivity of 86.9% (95% CI 80.9-91.6) and a specificity of 38.2% (95% CI 31.9-44.8) for predicting in-hospital mortality, while Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) criteria had a sensitivity of 61.9% (95% CI 54.1-69.3) and a specificity of 91.4% (95% CI 87.1-94.7). Factors associated with increased in-hospital mortality included transfer to ICU after RRS activation (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.56, 95% CI 2.12-5.97) and a higher number of RRS activations (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.63-3.69). Factors associated with improved survival included active malignancy treatment at the time of RRS activation (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.34-0.86) and longer hospital length of stay (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.70-0.87).

CONCLUSIONS

Hematologic oncology inpatients requiring RRS activation have high rates of subsequent ICU admission and mortality. ICU admission and higher number of RRS activations are associated with increased risk of death, while active cancer treatment and longer hospital stay are associated with lower risk of mortality. Clinicians should consider these factors in risk-stratifying these patients during RRS assessment.

Bacterial Spectrum and Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern in Cancer Patients with Febrile Neutropenia

Background: Bacterial bloodstream infections are one of the most common complications in cancer patients under treatment. Bacteremia in these patients is a medical crisis that needs antibiotic treatment. The aim of this study was to determine bacterial spectrum and antimicrobial resistance pattern in febrile neutropenic cancer patients. Methods: In this prospective study, 212 cancer patients with febrile neutropenia who were referred to Shahid Sadoughi hospital in Yazd from 2012 to 2015 were participated. Bacterial pathogens isolated by the BACTEC media and antimicrobial susceptibility tests performed according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Results: The mean age of patients was 43.5 ± 24.98 years old. Out of 212 participants, 62.3℅ (132/212) were suffering from hematologic malignancies, and 37.7℅ (80/212) had solid tumors. Gram-negative bacteria were the predominant microorganisms (84.9℅). E.coli was the most frequently isolated pathogen (38.68 %), followed by Klebsiella (14.15℅) and Acinetobacter species (11.32℅). In addition, Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most common isolated Gram-positive bacteria (8.5℅). Gram-negative bacteria were susceptible to ciprofloxacin with a response range of 53.7% to 100%. The majority of E.coli isolates were sensitive to ceftazidime (87.8℅) and were resistance to Co-trimoxazole (15.8℅). Klebsiella isolates were 100% susceptible to cephalosporins, meropenem and imipenem. Conclusion: The majority of bacterial pathogens were resistance to various antibiotics. Judicious use of antibiotic therapy can prevent the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

Early bacterial and fungal infection in children receiving allogeneic stem cell transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Argentina

Infections are important complications associated with allogeneic HSCT. Describing infection rates in low- and middle-income countries provides data to infer efficacy of supportive care practices in these settings. In this retrospective cohort study, we included patients (age ≤ 18 years) who underwent a first allogeneic HSCT for ALL in a single center in Argentina between 1998 and 2016. The primary outcome was sterile site bacterial infection. Secondary outcomes were proven or probable invasive fungal infection, TRM, and infectious deaths. There were 68 allogeneic HSCT recipients with ALL included in this analysis. Overall, 17 (25.0%) experienced at least one sterile site bacterial infection and 10 (14.7%) experienced at least one proven or probable invasive fungal infection. The TRM rate was 19.1%, and 3 (4.4%) patients died of infection. In a middle-income country center in Argentina, pediatric allogeneic HSCT infection rates, TRM, and infection-related mortality were comparable to high-income countries. These data support continuation of allogeneic HSCT programs in similar resource-limited settings provided that adequate supportive care and monitoring of outcomes can be performed.

[Fever in Cancer Patients]

Fever in cancer patients is a medical emergency until a severe infection has been ruled out. In case of neutropenia prompt diagnostic work-up should be paralleled by empiric antibiotic treatment. Underlying malignancy as well as treatments may impair immune response and thus pave the way for less virulent pathogens. So the spectrum of infections comprises both pathogens that cause disease in immunocompetent patients and a variety of rarer organisms. After collecting two pairs of blood cultures, broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment should commence within one to two hours. Depending on the individual patient's risk antimicrobial prophylaxis should be considered.

Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia among pediatric cancer patients in Egypt: Risks and consequences

Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN) is the major dose-limiting toxicity of systemic chemotherapy and it is associated with significant morbidity, mortality and treatment cost. The aim of the present study was to identify the risk factors that may predispose pediatric cancer patients who receive myelosuppressive chemotherapy to CIN and associated sequelae. A total of 113 neutropenia episodes were analyzed and the risk factors for CIN were classified as patient-specific, disease-specific and regimen-specific, while the consequences of CIN were divided into infectious and dose-modifying sequelae. The risks and consequences were analyzed to target high-risk patients with appropriate preventive strategies. Among our patients, 28% presented with a single neutropenia attack, while 72% experienced recurrent attacks during their treatment cycles. The mean absolute neutrophil count was 225.5±128.5 ×109/l (range, 10-497 ×109/l), starting 14.2±16.3 days (range, 2-100 days) after the onset of chemotherapy and resolving within 11.2±7.3 days, either with (45.1%) or without (54.9%) granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). No significant association was observed between any patient characteristics or disease stage and the risk for CIN. However, certain malignancies, such as acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), neuroblastoma and Burkitt's lymphoma, and certain regimens, such as induction block for ALL and acute myelocytic leukemia, exerted the most potent myelotoxic effect, with severe and prolonged episodes of neutropenia. G-CSF significantly shortened the duration of the episodes and enhanced bone marrow recovery. Febrile neutropenia was the leading complication among our cases (73.5%) and was associated with several documented infections, particularly mucositis (54.9%), respiratory (45.1%), gastrointestinal tract (38.9%) and skin (23.9%) infections. A total of 6% of our patients succumbed to infection-related complications. Neutropenia was responsible for treatment discontinuation (13.3%), dose delay (13.3%) and dose reduction (5.3%) in our patients. The mean cost for each episode in our institution was 9,386.5±6,688.9 Egyptian pounds, which represented a significant burden on health care providers.