Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia is a common adverse effect in children with cancer, yet there are less serious causes of febrile neutropenia for which extended in-hospital treatment might be unnecessary.
Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia is a common adverse effect in children with cancer, yet there are less serious causes of febrile neutropenia for which extended in-hospital treatment might be unnecessary, according to a study published in Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews.
Although children with neutropenia may be more subject to infections and related complications, there may be some instances where the standard hospitalization and antibiotic treatments may not be necessary. The authors collected various publications from multiple organizations in order to see how different discharge times affected children with cancer and neutropenia, looking at both randomized controlled trials and controlled clinical trials.
Discharge times were categorized as very early with an average of less than 24 hours, early with an average of less than 5 days, and non-early with an average of 5 days or more.
The team included 2 randomized controlled trials: Santolaya 2004 and Brack 2012. Santolaya 2004 compared early discharge to non-early discharge and found no clear evidence of difference in treatment failure or duration of treatment; costs were lower in the early discharge group. Brack 2012 compared very early discharge to early discharge and found no clear evidence of difference in treatment failure or median duration of any antimicrobial treatment; costs were not assessed. It is possible, however, that this absence of clear evidence indicates a lack of power in the studies.
“Evidently, there are still profound gaps regarding very early and early discharge in children with cancer and febrile neutropenia,” the authors wrote.
They concluded that there was limited data regarding safety of early discharge compared to non-early discharge for children with low risk of invasive infection. They hope that future studies will utilize a larger sample size and “aim for uniform and objective criteria regarding the identification of a low-risk febrile neutropenic episode.”
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
The Joint Commission is launching the Rural Health Clinic Accreditation Program to standardize staff training and patient care practices at rural health clinics nationwide; the American Cancer Society recently launched the largest-ever study of cancer risk and outcomes in Black women; the HHS COVID-19 vaccination campaign saved $732 billion by preventing illness and related costs.
Read More
Budesonide-Based Triple Therapy Shows Best Benefit Over Dual Therapy for COPD
May 8th 2024The triple therapy of budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate showed the greatest incremental net benefit among a series of triple therapy medications that were evaluated against dual therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to an analysis presented at ISPOR.
Read More