Key clinical point: During remission induction chemotherapy in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), antibiotics can be safely stopped after 3 days of febrile neutropenia in the absence of infection.
Major finding: Serious medical complication (SMC) was seen in 12.5% of patients receiving the 3-day empirical broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy (EBAT) vs. 8.9% of patients receiving the prolonged regimen ( P = .17). After adjustment for confounders, there was no significant difference between both strategies in the number of SMCs (hazard ratio, 1.357; P = .297).
Study details: AML or MDS patients who received chemotherapy were treated with either 3-day EBAT or a prolonged antibiotic regimen (until neutrophil recovery).
Disclosures: The study did not receive any specific funding. A Schauwvlieghe, J Maertens, and T Mercier reported relationships with various pharmaceutical companies. The remaining authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Schauwvlieghe A et al. EClinicalMedicine. 2021 Apr 25. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.100855 .