European Journal of Cancer
Volume 37, Issue 18 , Pages 2413-2419 , December 2001

Incidence of septicaemias and invasive mycoses in children undergoing treatment for solid tumours: a 12-year experience at a single Italian institution

  • R Haupt

      Affiliations

    • Scientific Directorate, Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Section, Gaslini Children's Hospital, Genova, Italy
    • Hematology/Oncology Unit, Gaslini Children's Hospital, Genova, Italy
  • ,
  • M Romanengo

      Affiliations

    • Hematology/Oncology Unit, Gaslini Children's Hospital, Genova, Italy
  • ,
  • T Fears

      Affiliations

    • Biostatistics Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
  • ,
  • C Viscoli

      Affiliations

    • The University of Genoa, and the Immunocompromised Host Disease Unit of the National Institute for Cancer Research, Genova, Italy
  • ,
  • E Castagnola

      Affiliations

    • Infectious Diseases Unit, G. Gaslini Children's Hospital, Genova, Italy
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +39-010-563-6428; fax: +39-010-377-6590

Received 27 September 2000 ,Revised 25 June 2001 ,Accepted 7 August 2001.

References 

  1. Freifeld AG, Walsh T, Pizzo PA. Infectious complications in the pediatric cancer patient. In:  Pizzo PA,  Poplack DG editor. Principle and Practice of Pediatric Oncology. 3rd edn.. Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven; 1997;p. 987–1019
  2. Viscoli C, Castagnola E. Factors predisposing cancer patients to infections. Cancer Treat. Res. 1995;79:1–30
  3. Aquino VM, Pappo A, Buchanan GR, et al.  The changing epidemiology of bacteremia in neutropenic children with cancer. Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. 1995;14:140–143
  4. Arpi M, Victor MA, Moller JK, et al.  Changing etiology of bacteremia in patients with hematological malignancies in Denmark. Scand. J. Infect. Dis. 1994;26:157–162
  5. Gonzalez-Barca E, Fernandez-Sevilla A, Carratalà J, et al.  Prospective study of 288 episodes of bacteremia in neutropenic cancer patients in a single institution. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 1996;15:291–296
  6. Castagnola E, Garaventa A, Viscoli C, et al.  Changing pattern of pathogens causing Broviac catheter-related bacteremias in children with cancer. J. Hosp. Infect. 1995;29:129–133
  7. Groeger JS, Lucas AB, Thaler HT, et al.  Infectious morbidity associated with long-term use of venous access devices in patients with cancer. Ann. Intern. Med. 1993;119:1168–1174
  8. Daghistani D, Horn M, Rodriguez Z, et al.  Prevention of indwelling central venous catheter sepsis. Med. Pediatr. Oncol. 1996;26:405–408
  9. Das I, Philpott C, George RH. Central venous catheter-related septicemia in paediatric cancer patients. J. Hosp. Infect. 1997;36:67–76
  10. Ljungman P, Hagglund H, Bjorkstrand B, et al.  Preoperative teicoplanin for prevention of Gram-positive infections in neutropenic patients with indwelling central venous catheters (a randomized controlled study). Support Care Cancer. 1997;5:485–488
  11. Viscoli C, Garaventa A, Boni L, et al.  Role of Broviac catheters in infections in children with cancer. Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. 1988;7:556–560
  12. Viscoli C, Castagnola E, Moroni C, et al.  Early infectious complications in children undergoing BMT. Bone Marrow Transpl. 1991;7(Suppl. 3):42–47
  13. Romano V, Castagnola E, Dallorso S, et al.  Bloodstream infections can develop pate (after day 100) and/or in the absence of neutropenia in children receiving allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Bone Marrow Transpl. 1999;23:271–275
  14. Ranchere JY, Gordianik B, Bachman P. Postoperative infections in immunocompromised patients after oncological surgery. Support Care Cancer. 1995;3:409–413
  15. Spanik S, Stopkova K, Grausova S, et al.  Postoperative bacteremia in cancer patients with solid tumors undergoing surgery (risk factors, etiology, and outcome in 276 patients). Support Care Cancer. 1997;5:336–338
  16. Krcmery V, Spanik S, Stopkova K, et al.  Bacteremia in cancer patients with solid tumors undergoing chemotherapy versus surgery (risk factors, etiology and outcome in 276 patients). J. Chemother. 1997;9:232–237
  17. International Antimicrobial Therapy Cooperative Group of the EORTC . Ceftazidime combined with a short or long course of amikacin for empirical therapy of Gram-negative bacteremia in cancer patients with granulocytopenia. The EORTC International Antimicrobial Therapy Cooperative Group. N. Engl. J. Med. 1987;317:1692–1698
  18. Freifield AG, Walsh T, Marshall D, et al.  Monotherapy for fever and neutropenia in cancer patients (a randomized comparison of ceftazidime versus imipenem). J. Clin. Oncol. 1995;13:165–176
  19. International Antimicrobial Therapy Cooperative Group of the EORTC . Efficacy and toxicity of single daily doses of amikacin and ceftriaxone versus multiple daily doses of amikacin and ceftazidime for infection in patients with cancer and granulocytopenia. Ann. Intern. Med. 1993;119:584–593
  20. Cometta A, Zinner S, de Bock R, et al.  Piperacillin-tazobactam plus amikacin versus ceftazidime plus amikacin as empiric therapy for fever in granulocytopenic patients with cancer. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 1995;39:445–452
  21. Cometta A, Calandra T, Gaya H, et al.  Monotherapy with meropenem versus combination therapy with Ceftazidime plus amikacin as empiric therapy for fever in granulocytopenic patients with cancer. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 1996;40:1108–1115
  22. Schimpff SC, Gaya H, Klastersky J, et al.  Three antibiotic regimens in the treatment of infection in febrile granulocytopenic patients with cancer. The EORTC international antimicrobial therapy project group. J. Infect. Dis. 1978;137:14–29
  23. Rahila J, Perkkio M, Riikonen P. Infections occurring during the courses of anticancer chemotherapy in children with ALL (a retrospective analysis of 59 patients). Pediatr. Hematol. Oncol. 1998;15:165–174
  24. Whel G, Allerberger F, Heitger A, et al.  Trends in infection morbidity on pediatric oncology ward 1986–1995. Med. Pediatr. Oncol. 1999;32:336–343
  25. Castagnola E, Lanino E, Garaventa A, et al.  Prophylaxis of streptococcal bacteraemia with oral penicillin v in children undergoing bone marrow transplantation. Support Care Cancer. 1995;3:319–321
  26. Viscoli C, Castagnola E. Planned progressive antimicrobial therapy in neutropenic patients. Brit. J. Haematol. 1998;102:879–888
  27. Viscoli C, Castagnola E, Caniggia M, et al.  Italian guidelines for the management of infectious complications in pediatric oncology (empirical antimicrobial therapy of febrile neutropenia). Oncology. 1998;55:489–500
  28. Castagnola E, Conte M, Garaventa A, et al.  Indwelling central venous catheter-related sepsis [letter]. Med. Pediatr. Oncol. 1998;30:73–74
  29. Pui CH, Bovet JM, Higes WT, et al.  Human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor after induction chemotherapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. N. Engl. J. Med. 1997;336:1781–1787
  30. Hartman LC, Tschetter LK, Haberman TM, et al.  Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in severe chemotherapy-induced afebrile neutropenia. N. Engl. J. Med. 1997;336:1776–1780
  31. Preston DL, Lubin JH, Pierce DA, McConney ME. EPICURE: User's Guide. Hirosoft International Corporation, 1463 E. Republican Ave, Suite 103 Seattle, WA 98112, USA, 1996.
  32. Viscoli C, Castagnola E, Giacchino M, et al.  Bloodstream infections in children with cancer (a multicentre surveillance study of the Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology). Eur. J. Cancer. 1999;35:770–774
  33. International Antimicrobial Therapy Cooperative Group of the EORTC . Gram-positive bacteraemia in granulocytopenic cancer patients. Eur. J. Cancer. 1990;26:569–574
  34. Klastersky J, Zinner SH, Calandra T, et al.  Empiric antimicrobial therapy for febrile granulocytopenic cancer patients (lessons from four EORTC trials). Eur. J. Cancer Clin. Oncol. 1988;24(Suppl. 1):35–45
  35. Viscoli C, Bruzzi P, Castagnola E, et al.  Factors associated with bacteraemia in febrile, granulocytopenic cancer patients. The International Antimicrobial Therapy Cooperative Group (IATCG) of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). Eur. J. Cancer. 1994;30A:430–437
  36. Talcott JA, Finberg RW, Mayer RJ, Goldmann L. The medical course of cancer patients with fever and neutropenia. Clinical identification of a low-risk subgroup at presentation. Arch. Intern. Med. 1988;148:2561–2568
  37. Castagnola E, Carrega G, Garaventa A. Catheter-related bacteremias in patients with cancer [letter]. Ann. Intern. Med. 1994;121:73–74
  38. Goldman PA, Pier GB. Pathogenesis of infections related to intravascular catheterization. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 1993;6:176–192
  39. Groll AH, Shah PM, Mentzel C, et al.  Trends in the postmortem epidemiology of invasive fungal infections at a university hospital. J. Infect. 1996;33:23–32
  40. Bodey GP, Bueltmann B, Duguid W, et al.  Fungal infections in cancer patients (an international autopsy survey). Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 1992;11:99–109
  41. Viscoli C, Girmenia C, Marinus A, et al.  Candidemia in cancer patients (a prospective, multicenter surveillance study by the Invasive Fungal Infection Group (IFIG) of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)). Clin. Infect. Dis. 1999;28:1071–1079
  42. Hiemenz JW, Greene JN. Special considerations for the patient undergoing allogeneic or autologous bone marrow transplantation. Hematol. Oncol. Clinics North Am. 1993;7:961–1002

PII: S0959-8049(01)00274-X

doi: 10.1016/S0959-8049(01)00274-X

European Journal of Cancer
Volume 37, Issue 18 , Pages 2413-2419 , December 2001