title: Use of oral mucosal neutrophil counts to detect the onset and resolution of profound neutropenia following high-dose myelosuppressive chemotherapy.
abstract: Severe neutropenia following cytotoxic, anti-cancer chemotherapy is well-known to be associated with an increased risk of infections that may be life-threatening, particularly if not treated immediately. Consequently, serial measurements of neutrophil counts in peripheral blood are done routinely following the administration of high-dose myelosuppressive chemotherapy in order to monitor the onset, severity, and duration of iatrogenic neutropenia. We have studied a non-invasive method of quantifying neutrophils recoverable from the oral mucosa, a normal tissue site of neutrophil turnover, as an alternative approach for monitoring severe, chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. This method is based on the quantification of fluorochrome-stained neutrophils present in timed mouthwash specimens. Blood neutrophil (ANC) and mucosal neutrophil counts (MNC) were measured repeatedly in 23 patients who had been treated with dose-intensive chemotherapy for a variety of indications. All 23 patients developed profound neutropenia (ANC < 100/mm3), and 19 developed neutropenic fever (>101 degrees F) during the 2 weeks following treatment. Nadirs of neutropenia defined by MNC were significantly less prolonged than those defined by the ANC. Furthermore, the onset and resolution of neutropenic fever coincided more precisely with nadirs of neutropenia defined by the MNC than with those defined by the ANC. Our findings indicate that oral mucosal neutrophil counts predict the timing of clinical events associated with neutropenia (e.g., the onset and resolution of fever) with significantly greater accuracy than blood neutrophil counts.
authors.affiliation: Castle Hematology Research Laboratory of the Section of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA.
authors.forename: Gorgun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Akpek
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000165:Acridine Orange / Q000032:analysis*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002452:Cell Count; D002465:Cell Movement; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003289:Convalescence; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009504:Neutrophils; D036102:Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods*; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D000165:Acridine Orange