Ceftriaxone monotherapy in the treatment of low-risk febrile neutropenia.

UNLABELLED

Febrile neutropenia in patients who have undergone chemotherapy is usually treated with a combination of broad-spectrum antibiotics. There are no exactly defined protocols for single-agent treatment because a clear definition of low risk febrile neutropenia is lacking. This paper examines the safety and efficacy of once-daily ceftriaxone in 376 cases.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In a prospective observational study carried out between February 1992 and January 1996, 959 febrile episodes at 48 hospitals were recorded. Inclusion criteria were neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count, ANC <1,000/ microl) with fever (>/=38.5 degreesC) or a C-reactive protein concentration >1 mg/dl and suspected infection. Nine hundred and one episodes (acute leukemia n = 396, lymphoma n = 220, solid tumors n = 272 and other disorders n = 13) in 828 patients aged between 1 and 97 years were analyzed, of which 876 episodes were evaluable for response. All patients initially underwent empirical treatment with ceftriaxone (adults: 2 g/day; children: 80 mg/kg/day), either alone (376) or in combination with other agents (525).

RESULTS

The mean ANC was 423/ microl (SD +/- 316) and the median duration of neutropenia 10 days. Of the 363 episodes treated initially with ceftriaxone alone, 70.8% responded versus 56.9% in the combination therapy group. The favorable response to the initial monotherapy treatment was explained by a low-risk population in the monotherapy group. A KI >6 (p < 0.0001), ANC >/=500/ microl (p = 0.0001) and a duration of ANC <5 days (p < 0.05) were significantly more frequent in the monotherapy arm and were predictive of lower risk at the commencement of treatment.

CONCLUSION

Ceftriaxone is effective in febrile neutropenia. Treatment with ceftriaxone alone was safe and highly effective in low-risk patients. Single-agent regimens appear to be a suitable treatment option in low-risk febrile neutropenia.