Mohammed Suhail K 1 , Srikanth N2 , Anil Kumar N3 , Manoj Gowda A 4 , Shivanand Shrishail Nuchi 5
BACKGROUND Febrile neutropenia is a common but serious complication of chemotherapy in patients with solid tumours and haematological malignancies. It represents a major cause of morbidity, mortality and treatment costs in patients who receive chemotherapy. This study was done to study the clinical spectrum of febrile neutropenic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present study was conducted in the Department of Medicine, M.S. Ramaiah Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, from (October 2014 – September 2016). The inclusion criteria were the histological diagnosis of malignancy, neutropenia which was secondary to chemotherapy, an absolute neutrophil count of < 500/cumm, oral temperature of >38.3°C or >38°C for 1 hour. RESULTS A total of 100 cases of febrile neutropenia were documented; 85 in solid tumours and 15 in haematological malignancies. Breast cancer was the commonest underlying malignancy (27 out of 100). E. coli was the commonest organism which was identified (9 cases). CONCLUSION Febrile neutropenia is seen in patients with all types of underlying malignancies, however poorer response is seen in haematological malignancy.
