title: Analysis of 136 febrile neutropenic episodes in children with cancer: evaluation of treatment effectiveness and cost.
abstract: In this study, 136 febrile neutropenic episodes were overviewed retrospectively. Factors affecting treatment success and cost were analyzed. Twenty percent of the episodes were microbiologically documented and 51 % of the bacterial isolates were gram negatives. The most commonly used empirical therapies in febrile episodes were the combination of two drugs (58.0%), monotherapy (14.8%), and antibiotics plus fluconazole (20.6 %). In lymphoproliferative tumors duration of fever and discharge from the hospital were longer Administration of the hematopoietic growth factors shortened neither the duration of neutropenia nor fever and hospitalization. Treatment costs were higher in lymphoproliferative tumors, in bacteremia, and in episodes where glycopeptides, antifungal drugs, and hematopoietic growth factors were used. In conclusion, duration of neutropenia was a significant independent predictive factor for duration of fever In the lymphoproliferative tumors, duration of fever was longer and cost of treatment was more than in the solid tumors.
authors.affiliation: Dokuz Eylul and Kocaeli University, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Turkey. fundacorapcioglu@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Funda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Corapçioğlu
authors.forename: Faik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sarialioğlu
authors.forename: Nur
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Olgun
authors.forename: Kamer Mutafoğlu
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Uysal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000628:therapy*; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000628:therapy*