Background: Broad-spectrum beta-lactam is the standard therapy for febrile neutropenia (FN) in cancer patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the treatment of FN by a once-daily administration of ceftriaxone (CFX) alone.
Material/methods: From Jan. 1, 1997 to Dec. 31, 2001 we prospectively analyzed 100 episodes of FN in 94 patients. Inclusion criteria were: fever > or = 38.5 degrees C, neutrophil count (NC) <500/microl, presumed short duration (<7 days), and no antimicrobial treatment within the preceding 72 h. Treatment consisted of 2 g daily intravenous CFX alone until NC>500. Success criteria were: afebrile within 48 hours under CFX alone and without secondary infection.
Results: Twenty-seven episodes occurred in patients with performance status (PS)>2. The median duration of neutropenia was 3.5 days (range 1-22). Etiology of fever was: 75 of unknown origin (FUO), 6 clinically defined (CDI), and 19 microbiologically documented (MDI). Median CFX treatment duration was 5 days. Successful response was obtained in 87% of cases; no deaths occurred. Treatment efficacy differed between FUO, CDI, and MDI with, respectively, 92.0, 83.3, and 68.4% success rates (p=0.042). Treatment failure was mostly observed in patients with PS > or = 2 (p=0.0001). Among the 13 failures, 4 resolved in less than 4 days with CFX alone and 9 required additional or modified antimicrobial treatment.
Conclusions: Considering the marked practical advantages of CFX alone (well-tolerated treatment with minimum side effects, once-daily administration, low cost, and high response rates), this single-agent regimen appears to be a valuable option in treatment of FN in patients with solid tumors.