Antibiotic Treatment of Febrile Neutropenia in Patients with Acute Leukemia

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.

• Vladimir Aleksandrovich Okhmat National Medical Hematology Research Center, 4 Novyi Zykovskii pr-d, Moscow, Russian Federation, 125167 ; ФГБУ «НМИЦ гематологии» Минздрава России, Новый Зыковский пр-д, д. 4, Москва, Российская Федерация, 125167
• G.A. Klyasova National Medical Hematology Research Center, 4 Novyi Zykovskii pr-d, Moscow, Russian Federation, 125167 ; ФГБУ «НМИЦ гематологии» Минздрава России, Новый Зыковский пр-д, д. 4, Москва, Российская Федерация, 125167
• E.N. Parovichnikova National Medical Hematology Research Center, 4 Novyi Zykovskii pr-d, Moscow, Russian Federation, 125167 ; ФГБУ «НМИЦ гематологии» Минздрава России, Новый Зыковский пр-д, д. 4, Москва, Российская Федерация, 125167
• V.V. Troitskaya National Medical Hematology Research Center, 4 Novyi Zykovskii pr-d, Moscow, Russian Federation, 125167 ; ФГБУ «НМИЦ гематологии» Минздрава России, Новый Зыковский пр-д, д. 4, Москва, Российская Федерация, 125167
• E.O. Gribanova National Medical Hematology Research Center, 4 Novyi Zykovskii pr-d, Moscow, Russian Federation, 125167 ; ФГБУ «НМИЦ гематологии» Минздрава России, Новый Зыковский пр-д, д. 4, Москва, Российская Федерация, 125167
• V.G. Savchenko National Medical Hematology Research Center, 4 Novyi Zykovskii pr-d, Moscow, Russian Federation, 125167 ; ФГБУ «НМИЦ гематологии» Минздрава России, Новый Зыковский пр-д, д. 4, Москва, Российская Федерация, 125167

1. Паровичникова Е.Н., Троицкая В.В., Клясова Г.А. и др. Лечение больных острыми миелоидными лейкозами по протоколу российского многоцентрового рандомизированного исследования ОМЛ-01.10: результаты координационного центра. Терапевтический архив. 2014;86(7):14–23. [Parovichnikova EN, Troitskaya VV, Klyasova GA, et al. Treating patients with acute myeloid leukemias (AML) according to the protocol of the AML-01.10 Russian multicenter randomized trial: The coordinating center’s results. Terapevticheskii arkhiv. 2014;86(7):14–23. (In Russ)]
2. Паровичникова Е.Н., Клясова Г.А., Исаев В.Г. и др. Первые итоги терапии Ph-негативных острых лимфобластных лейкозов взрослых по протоколу Научно-исследовательской группы гематологических центров России ОЛЛ-2009. Терапевтический архив. 2011;83(7):11–7. [Parovichnikova EN, Klyasova GA, Isaev VG, et al. Pilot results of therapy of adult Ph-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia according to the protocol of Research Group of Russian Hematological Centers ALL-2009. Terapevticheskii arkhiv. 2011;83(7):11–7. (In Russ)]
3. Войцеховский В.В., Груздова А.В., Филатова Е.А. и др. Анализ инфекционных осложнений гемобластозов в Амурской области.Бюллетень физиологии и патологии дыхания. 2012;46:64–8. [Voitsekhovskii VV, Gruzdova AV, Filatova EA, et al. The analysis of infectious complications of hemoblastosis in the Amur region. Byulleten’ fiziologii i patologii dykhaniya. 2012;46:64–8. (In Russ)]
4. Mikulska M, Viscoli C, Orasch C, et al. Aetiology and resistance in bacteraemias among adult and paediatric haematology and cancer patients. J Infect. 2013;68(4):321–31. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2013.12.006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2013.12.006
5. Клясова Г.А. Антимикробная терапия. В кн.: Программное лечение заболеваний системы крови: сборник алгоритмов диагностики и протоколов лечения заболеваний системы крови. Под ред. В.Г. Савченко. М.: Практика, 2012. С. 827–54. [Klyasova GA. Antimicrobial therapy. In: Savchenko VG, ed. Programmnoe lechenie zabolevanii sistemy krovi: sbornik algoritmov diagnostiki i protokolov lecheniya zabolevanii sistemy krovi. (Program treatment of blood system diseases.) Moscow: Praktika Publ.; 2012. pp. 829–53. (In Russ)]
6. Averbuch D, Cordonnier C, Livermore DM, et al. Targeted therapy against multi-resistant bacteria in leukemic and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: Guidelines of the 4th European conference on Infections in Leukemia (ECIL-4, 2011). Haematologica. 2013;98(12):1836–47. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2013.091330. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3324/haematol.2013.091330
7. Tumbarello M, Sanguinetti M, Montuori E, et al. Predictors of mortality in patients with bloodstream infections caused by extended-spectrum-β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae: importance of inadequate initial antimicrobial treatment. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2007;51(6):1987–94. doi:10.1128/AAC.01509–06. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.01509-06
8. Савченко В.Г., Паровичникова Е.Н., Афанасьев Б.В. и др. Национальные клинические рекомендации по диагностике и лечению острых миелоидных лейкозов взрослых. Гематология и трансфузиология. 2014;59(S2):2–29. [Savchenko VG, Parovichnikova EN, Afanas’ev BV, et al. National clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute myeloid leukemia in adults. Gematologiya i transfusiologiya. 2014;59(S2):2–29. (In Russ)]
9. Oken MM, Creech RH, Tormey DC, et al. Toxicity and response criteria of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. Am J Clin Oncol. 1982;5(6):649–55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00000421-198212000-00014
10. Averbuch D, Orasch C, Cordonnier C, et al. European guidelines for empirical antibacterial therapy for febrile neutropenic patients in the era of growing resistance: summary of the 2011 4th European Conference on Infections in Leukemia. Haematologica. 2013;98(12):1826–35. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2013.091025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3324/haematol.2013.091025
11. Клясова Г.А., Коробова А.Г., Фролова И.Н. и др. Детекция энтеробактерий с продукцией β-лактамаз расширенного спектра у больных острыми миелоидными лейкозами и лимфомами при поступлении в стационар. Гематология и трансфузиология. 2016;61(1):25–32. doi: 10.18821/0234-5730-2016-61-1-25-32. [Klyasova GA, Korobova AG, Frolova IN, et al. Detection of extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) among patients with acute myeloid leukemia and lymphoma upon admission to hospital. Gematologiya i transfusiologiya. 2016;61(1):25–32. doi: 10.18821/0234-5730-2016-61-1-25-32. (In Russ)]
12. Охмат В.А., Клясова Г.А., Коробова А.Г. и др. Следует ли назначать карбапенемы всем больным с фебрильной нейтропенией и колонизацией энтеробактериями с продукцией β-лактамаз расширенного спектра? Онкогематология. 2016;11(3):49–57. doi: 10.17650/1818-8346-2016-11-3-49-57. [Okhmat VA, Klyasova GA, Korobova AG. Should to all patients with febrile neutropenia and colonization with extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae carbapenems be appointed? Oncohematology. 2016;11(3):49–57. doi: 10.17650/1818-8346-2016-11-3-49-57. (In Russ)] DOI: https://doi.org/10.17650/1818-8346-2016-11-3-49-57
13. Aynioglu Mujeeb VR, Jambunathan P, Tyagi A. Comparison of Efficacy of Piperacillin/Tazobactam Vs Cefoperazone/Sulbactam as Empirical Therapy in Patients with Febrile Neutropenia. Ann Int Med Dent Res. 2017;3(2):51–5. doi: 10.21276/aimdr.2017.3.2.me12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21276/aimdr.2017.3.2.ME12
14. Demir HA, Kutluk T, Ceyhan M, et al. Comparison of sulbactam-cefoperazone with carbapenems as empirical monotherapy for febrile neutropenic children with lymphoma and solid tumors. Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2011;28(4):299–310. doi: 3109/08880018.2011.552937. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3109/08880018.2011.552937
15. Jing Y, Li J, Yuan L, et al. Piperacillin‐tazobactam vs. imipenem‐cilastatin as empirical therapy in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients with febrile neutropenia. Clin Transplant. 2016;30(3):263–9. doi: 1111/ctr.12685. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ctr.12685
16. Охмат В.А., Клясова Г.А., Паровичникова Е.Н. и др. Спектр и этиология инфекционных осложнений у больных острыми миелоидными лейкозами на этапах индукции и консолидации ремиссии. Гематология и трансфузиология. 2017;62(1):9–15. [Okhmat VA, Klyasova GA, Parovichnikova EN, et al. Spectrum and epidemiology of infection complications in patients with acute myeloid leukemia during induction and consolidation chemotherapy. Gematologiya i transfusiologiya. 2017;62(1):9–15. (In Russ)]
17. Pizzo PA. After empiric therapy: what to do until the granulocyte comes back. Rev Infect Dis. 1987;9(1):214–9. doi: 1093/clinids/9.1.214. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/clinids/9.1.214
18. Link H, Maschmeyer G, Meyer PF, et al. Interventional antimicrobial therapy in febrile neutropenic patients. Ann Hematol. 1994;69(5):231–43. doi: 1007/BF01700277. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01700277
19. Viscoli C, Cometta A, Kern WV, et al. Piperacillin-tazobactam monotherapy in high-risk febrile and neutropenic cancer patients. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2006;12(3):212–6. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2005.01297.x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-0691.2005.01297.x