TITLE:
Hospital Outcome of Febrile Neutropenia Following Early Administration of Antibiotic in Children with Cancer
AUTHORS:
Kanij Delara Akhter, Afiqul Islam, Tandra Chakma, Md. Farhad Hasan Chowdhury, Rahila Begum Mitu, Sumitra Mazumder, Tania Sultana, Nowshin Taslima Hossain, Nafisa Mustafa, A. K. M. Shahidur Rahman
KEYWORDS:
Children with Cancer, Febrile Neutropenia (FN), Time to Antibiotic (TTA), Outcomes
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.13 No.8,
August
19,
2025
ABSTRACT: Background: Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a major source of morbidity and mortality among pediatric patients with cancer. Prompt administration of antibiotics or early time to antibiotic (TTA) is associated with improved outcomes in febrile neutropenic children with cancer. Objective: To compare hospital outcomes between children with cancer receiving early versus delayed antibiotic administration for febrile neutropenia. Methods: This observational study was conducted at the Department of Paediatrics Haemato-oncology, Bangladesh Medical University (BMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Total 40 children with cancer who developed febrile neutropenia were evaluated. Data were collected by interview, physical examination and evaluation of laboratory reports. Age, primary disease, neutropenia, time to antibiotic (TTA), etiologies and outcomes were recorded accordingly. Results: Out of 40 children, majority 28 (70.0%) belonged to age ≤ 7 years. Of them, 28 (70.0%) children had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 4 (10.0%) had lymphoma, 3 (7.5.0%) had Wilm’s tumor, 2 (5.0%) had acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) and 3 (7.5%) had other cancer. Early TTA (Conclusion: Early TTA had better outcome of FN in children with cancer than those with delayed TTA. Presence of UTI, bacteremia, RTI and early TTA were significantly associated with outcomes of FN in children with cancer.