Treatment of infections in patients with pancytopenia resulting from cytoreductive treatment

Abstract

Fever of unknown origin is the most frequent cause of hospitalization of patients in treatment with cytoreductive regimens for neoplastic diseases. Patients present with no or unspecific symptoms, and the initial evaluation requires detailed history and physical examination, together with laboratorial exams aiming to identify the site of infection and complications secondary to chemotherapy. Treatment with broad spectrum antibiotics should be started immediately, and the therapy should be reevaluated after 72 hours based on the results from blood fluids cultures. In this review, we will discuss about the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in febrile neutropenia.