BACKGROUND We evaluated the efficacy of a single fixed 6 mg dose of pegfilgrastim (a pegylated version of filgrastim) per cycle of chemotherapy, compared with daily administration of filgrastim, in the provision of neutrophil support. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients (n = 157) were randomized to receive either a single 6 mg subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of pegfilgrastim or daily 5 mg/kg s.c. inj...

INTRODUCTION Febrile neutropenia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients presenting this condition following chemotherapy against several malignancies. OBJECTIVE To evaluate if capillary refill time (CRT) allows the prediction of poor clinical outcome with or without antibiotic dose escalation. METHOD Capillary refill time was assessed in 50 patients with febrile neutropenia...

Respiratory viruses are a possible etiology of infections in pediatric febrile neutropenic patients, considering that they are the most frequent cause of fever in otherwise healthy children.1 We conducted a prospective, observational study, from March to December 2012, in Santa Casa de São Paulo, a busy quaternary public hospital in the largest and most populous city in Brazil, with the objecti...

Despite major advances in prevention and treatment, febrile neutropenia (FN) remains one of the most feared complications of cancer chemotherapy, and is a major cause of morbidity, healthcare resource use, and results in delays and dose reductions in chemotherapy which compromise efficacy. Mortality from FN has diminished steadily but remains significant. Overall mortality rates are 5% in patie...

chemotherapy remains the cornerstone of cancer therapy. In most cases bone marrow suppression represents the doselimiting toxicity of these drugs. Druginduced DNA damage at the level of bone marrow progenitor cells results in a fall in circulating neutrophil count. Patients with neutropenia are at increased risk of infection and sepsis.1 The timing of neutropenia is generally predictable; it ty...