Antibiotic Treatment of Febrile Neutropenia in Patients with Acute Leukemia

Abstract

Aim. To estimate the efficacy of antibiotic treatment of febrile neutropenia in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Materials & Methods. The prospective study (2013 to 2015) included 66 AML and 44 ALL patients receiving 480 chemotherapy cycles within the period of 6 months. Results. Febrile neutropenia was registered during 242 (50 %) chemotherapy cycles occurring more frequently in AML than in ALL patients (93 % vs. 18 %, p < 0.0001). In AML patients infections were more common during induction and consolidation (98 and 89 %) phases compared to ALL patients who most commonly had infection during induction phase (55 %). Compared to ALL patients, AML patients had lower recovery rates after first-line antibiotic monotherapy (24 % vs. 57 %, p < 0.0001), compared to combination therapy (37 % vs. 18 %, p = 0.01). The use of beta-lactam antibiotics in ALL patients was associated with lower recovery rates during the induction phase compared to consolidation phase (47 % vs. 72 %, p = 0.0004). In cases of granulocytopaenia longer that 14 days the clinical recovery rate with administration of the first-line antibiotics and carbapenems accounted for 23-24 % compared to 47 % with other antimicrobials, more commonly with antifungal (21 %) administration. In patients with fever of unknown origin the monotherapy with first-line antibiotics proved to be successful (45 %). In patients with clinically and microbiologically defined infections the best results were achieved by the combined treatment with the beta-lactam antibiotics and other drugs (43 %). Conclusion. Antibiotic escalation has proved to be the optimal strategy in treatment of ALL patients and in cases of fever of unknown origin. The efficacy of the beta-lactam antibiotic monotherapy was lower in AML patients during the induction phase as well as in cases of continuous neutropenia (> 14 days) and clinically and microbiologically diagnosed infections. The adding of other antimicrobial administration resulted in the recovery in 37-48 % of cases.