Neutropenic Fever in Lung Cancer:Clinical Aspects Related to Mortality and Antibiotic Failure

Background and objectives:Lung cancer(LC)is the leading cause of cancer death.Patients treated with chemotherapy are at risk of developing chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia(FN),a potentially life-threatening complication.The aims of this study were(1)to characterize FN admissions of patients with LC in a pulmonology department,and(2)to determine associations between patient profiles,first-line antibiotic failure(FLAF)and mortality.Methods:Retrospective observational case-series,based on the analysis of medical records of LC patients that required hospitalization due to chemotherapy-induced FN.Results:A total of 42 cases of FN were revised,corresponding to 36 patients,of which 86.1%were male,with a mean age of 66.71±9.83 years.Most patients had a performance status(PS)equal or less than 1,and metastatic disease was present in 40.5%(n=17).Respiratory tract infections accounted for 42.9%(n=18)of FN cases,and multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was the most isolated agent.The mortality rate was 16.7%(n=7),and the FLAF was 26.2%(n=11).Mortality was associated with a PS≥2(P=0.011),infection by a Gram-negative agent(P=0.001)and severe anemia(P=0.048).FLAF was associated with longer hospitalizations(P=0.020),PS≥2(P=0.049),respiratory infections(P=0.024),and infection by a Gram-negative(P=0.003)or multidrug-resistant agent(P=0.014).Conclusions:Lower PS,severe anemia,and infections by Gram-negative or multi-resistant agents seem to be associated with worse outcomes in FN patients.