New guidelines issued for pediatric fever and neutropenia

(HealthDay)—New evidence-based guidelines have been compiled on the management of fever and and neutropenia (FN) in children with cancer and/or who are undergoing hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation; the guidelines were published online Sept. 17 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Thomas Lehrnbecher, M.D., of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, and colleagues from the International Pediatric Fever and Neutropenia Guideline Panel followed validated procedures to create evidence-based guidelines for the management of FN in children with cancer and/or undergoing hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation.

Based on the evidence in the literature, summaries were compiled and the evidence graded. The panel made recommendations in the following areas: initial presentation, including risk stratification, initial evaluation, and treatment; ongoing management, which included cessation of empiric antibiotics; and empiric antifungal treatment for FN, comprising risk stratification, assessment, and treatment.

"This guideline represents an evidence-based approach to FN specific to children with cancer," the authors write. "Although some recommendations are similar to adult-based guidelines, there are key distinctions in multiple areas. Implementation will require adaptation to the local context."

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.