Clinical factors predictive of recurrent febrile neutropenia in adult patients with acute leukemia.

Febrile neutropenia (FN) is considered an oncologic emergency in acute leukemia. There were 250 FN events in 124 hospitalized patients with hematologic malignancy. These data imply that two FN events may occur per patient, yet data on the prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of recurrent FN in adult patients with leukemia are limited. A retrospective cohort study was conducted that enrolled adult patients diagnosed with acute leukemia who developed FN. The eligible patients were categorized as with or without recurrent FN. A stepwise, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of recurrent FN. A total of 203 patients met the study criteria; of these, 46 (22.66%) had recurrent FN, and this group had a median of three recurrent FN emergencies. After adjusted, three independent factors remained in the final model including ALL, FN at admission, and treatment with idarubicin (3 days) and cytarabine (7 days). The three factors were positively associated with recurrent FN with adjusted odds ratios of 6.253, 4.068, and 10.757, respectively. No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of other sources of infection, other pathogens, ICU stay, hospital stay, and mortality. ALL and FN at admission and treatment with idarubicin (3 days) and cytarabine (7 days) were associated with recurrent FN in acute leukemia patients with FN. Clinical outcomes for patients with or without recurrent FN were mostly comparable; however, due to its small sample size, further studies are required to confirm the results of this study.

Clinical factors predictive of mortality in acute leukemia patients with febrile neutropenia.

BACKGROUND: Acute leukemia is mainly treated with chemotherapy leading to febrile neutropenia (FN). There is limited data on clinical factors predictive of mortality in adults with acute leukemia and FN. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study and enrolled adult patients, diagnosed as acute leukemia, and developed FN. The eligible patients were admitted and followed up with mortality as the primary outcome. A stepwise, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to find predictors for mortality. RESULTS: There were 203 patients met the study criteria. Of those, 14 patients died (6.89%). AML was the most common type of acute leukemia with FN (64.04%). There were five remaining factors in the final model: AML, FN at admission, prolong broad spectrum antibiotics, lower respiratory tract infection, and Aspergillosis. Only lower respiratory tract infection was significant with adjusted odds ratio of 7.794 (95% CI of 1.549, 39.212). The Hosmer-Lemeshow Chi square was 2.74 (p value 0.907). The lower respiratory tract infection group had higher proportions of Gram negative and fungus than the non-lower respiratory tract infection group; specifically E. coli (p 0.003), and Aspergillus (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There were two independent predictors of mortality in acute leukemia patients with FN: septic shock and lower respiratory tract infection regardless of leukemia type or pathogen. E. coli and Aspergillus were more common in those with lower respiratory tract infection than those without. No specific pathogens were found in cases of septic shock.