Clinical and microbiological profiles in post-chemotherapy neutropenic fever in hematological malignancy: exploration of clinical phenotype patterns by two-step cluster analysis

Abstract Background Epidemiology of infectious diseases causing febrile illness varies geographically with human attributes. Periodic institutional surveillance of clinical and microbiological profiles in adding data to updating trends, modulating pharmatherapeutics, signifying possible excessive tr...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Choi Wan Chan, Alex Molassiotis, Harold K. K. Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2023-04-01
Series:BMC Infectious Diseases
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-023-08218-8
_version_ 1827966437672615936
author Choi Wan Chan
Alex Molassiotis
Harold K. K. Lee
author_facet Choi Wan Chan
Alex Molassiotis
Harold K. K. Lee
author_sort Choi Wan Chan
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Epidemiology of infectious diseases causing febrile illness varies geographically with human attributes. Periodic institutional surveillance of clinical and microbiological profiles in adding data to updating trends, modulating pharmatherapeutics, signifying possible excessive treatments and risk of drug resistance in post-chemotherapy neutropenic fever (NF) in hematological malignancy (HM) is limited. We aimed to review institutional clinical and microbiological data and explore clinical phenotype pattern groups among data. Methods Available data from 372 NF episodes were included. Demographics, types of malignancies, laboratory data, antimicrobial treatments and febrile-related outcome data such as predominant pathogens and microbiological diagnosed infections (MDIs) were collected. Descriptive statistics, two-step cluster analysis and non-parametric tests were employed. Results The occurrences of microbiological diagnosed bacterial infections (MDBIs; 20.2%) and microbiological diagnosed fungal infections (MDFIs; 19.9%) were almost equal. Gram-negative pathogens (11.8%) were comparable with gram-positive pathogens (9.9%), with gram-negative being slightly predominant. Death rate was 7.5%. Two-step cluster analysis yielded four distinct clinical phenotype pattern (cluster) groups: cluster 1 ‘lymphomas without MDIs’, cluster 2 ‘acute leukemias MDBIs’, cluster 3 ‘acute leukemias MDFIs’ and cluster 4 ‘acute leukemias without MDIs’. Considerable NF events with antibiotic prophylaxis being not identified as MDI might have cases in low-risk with non-infectious reasons causing febrile reactions that might possibly not require prophylaxis. Conclusions Regular institutional surveillance with active parameter assessments to signify risk levels in the post-chemotherapy stage, even prior to the onset of fever, might be an evidence-based strategy in the management of NF in HM.
first_indexed 2024-04-09T17:48:52Z
format Article
id doaj.art-0aee8dddf287494ca398a91fdf8440cb
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1471-2334
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-09T17:48:52Z
publishDate 2023-04-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Infectious Diseases
spelling doaj.art-0aee8dddf287494ca398a91fdf8440cb2023-04-16T11:07:50ZengBMCBMC Infectious Diseases1471-23342023-04-0123111410.1186/s12879-023-08218-8Clinical and microbiological profiles in post-chemotherapy neutropenic fever in hematological malignancy: exploration of clinical phenotype patterns by two-step cluster analysisChoi Wan Chan0Alex Molassiotis1Harold K. K. Lee2School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversitySchool of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityDepartment of Medicine & Geriatrics, Princess Margaret HospitalAbstract Background Epidemiology of infectious diseases causing febrile illness varies geographically with human attributes. Periodic institutional surveillance of clinical and microbiological profiles in adding data to updating trends, modulating pharmatherapeutics, signifying possible excessive treatments and risk of drug resistance in post-chemotherapy neutropenic fever (NF) in hematological malignancy (HM) is limited. We aimed to review institutional clinical and microbiological data and explore clinical phenotype pattern groups among data. Methods Available data from 372 NF episodes were included. Demographics, types of malignancies, laboratory data, antimicrobial treatments and febrile-related outcome data such as predominant pathogens and microbiological diagnosed infections (MDIs) were collected. Descriptive statistics, two-step cluster analysis and non-parametric tests were employed. Results The occurrences of microbiological diagnosed bacterial infections (MDBIs; 20.2%) and microbiological diagnosed fungal infections (MDFIs; 19.9%) were almost equal. Gram-negative pathogens (11.8%) were comparable with gram-positive pathogens (9.9%), with gram-negative being slightly predominant. Death rate was 7.5%. Two-step cluster analysis yielded four distinct clinical phenotype pattern (cluster) groups: cluster 1 ‘lymphomas without MDIs’, cluster 2 ‘acute leukemias MDBIs’, cluster 3 ‘acute leukemias MDFIs’ and cluster 4 ‘acute leukemias without MDIs’. Considerable NF events with antibiotic prophylaxis being not identified as MDI might have cases in low-risk with non-infectious reasons causing febrile reactions that might possibly not require prophylaxis. Conclusions Regular institutional surveillance with active parameter assessments to signify risk levels in the post-chemotherapy stage, even prior to the onset of fever, might be an evidence-based strategy in the management of NF in HM.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-023-08218-8Post-chemotherapy neutropenic feverFebrile neutropeniaHematological malignancyClinical and microbiological profilesPhenotype patternTwo-step cluster analysis
spellingShingle Choi Wan Chan
Alex Molassiotis
Harold K. K. Lee
Clinical and microbiological profiles in post-chemotherapy neutropenic fever in hematological malignancy: exploration of clinical phenotype patterns by two-step cluster analysis
BMC Infectious Diseases
Post-chemotherapy neutropenic fever
Febrile neutropenia
Hematological malignancy
Clinical and microbiological profiles
Phenotype pattern
Two-step cluster analysis
title Clinical and microbiological profiles in post-chemotherapy neutropenic fever in hematological malignancy: exploration of clinical phenotype patterns by two-step cluster analysis
title_full Clinical and microbiological profiles in post-chemotherapy neutropenic fever in hematological malignancy: exploration of clinical phenotype patterns by two-step cluster analysis
title_fullStr Clinical and microbiological profiles in post-chemotherapy neutropenic fever in hematological malignancy: exploration of clinical phenotype patterns by two-step cluster analysis
title_full_unstemmed Clinical and microbiological profiles in post-chemotherapy neutropenic fever in hematological malignancy: exploration of clinical phenotype patterns by two-step cluster analysis
title_short Clinical and microbiological profiles in post-chemotherapy neutropenic fever in hematological malignancy: exploration of clinical phenotype patterns by two-step cluster analysis
title_sort clinical and microbiological profiles in post chemotherapy neutropenic fever in hematological malignancy exploration of clinical phenotype patterns by two step cluster analysis
topic Post-chemotherapy neutropenic fever
Febrile neutropenia
Hematological malignancy
Clinical and microbiological profiles
Phenotype pattern
Two-step cluster analysis
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-023-08218-8
work_keys_str_mv AT choiwanchan clinicalandmicrobiologicalprofilesinpostchemotherapyneutropenicfeverinhematologicalmalignancyexplorationofclinicalphenotypepatternsbytwostepclusteranalysis
AT alexmolassiotis clinicalandmicrobiologicalprofilesinpostchemotherapyneutropenicfeverinhematologicalmalignancyexplorationofclinicalphenotypepatternsbytwostepclusteranalysis
AT haroldkklee clinicalandmicrobiologicalprofilesinpostchemotherapyneutropenicfeverinhematologicalmalignancyexplorationofclinicalphenotypepatternsbytwostepclusteranalysis