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PURPOSE: Patients treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy are at risk of neutropenia, neutropenic fever and neutropenic sepsis. We hypothesised that pre-existing neutrophil function dysfunction may increase susceptibility to neutropenic fever in paediatric patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy. METHODS: Prospective cohort study recruited patients at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom. We measured neutrophil phagocytic function using a validated flow cytometric whole blood phagocytosis assay in paediatric patients (n = 16) with oncological disease before and after chemotherapy in a prospective cohort study. We recruited healthy children as a control comparator (n = 10). RESULTS: We found significantly decreased phagocytic function in oncology patients compared to healthy participants. In five patients who developed neutropenic fever, we observed increased pre-dose neutrophil respiratory burst. CONCLUSION: With further validation, measurement of neutrophil function could potentially be used to personalise appropriate prophylactic antimicrobial administration for patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy.

Original publication

DOI

10.1007/s12094-020-02362-2

Type

Journal article

Journal

Clin Transl Oncol

Publication Date

11/2020

Volume

22

Pages

2121 - 2125

Keywords

Biomarker, Cytotoxic chemotherapy, Flow cytometry, Neutrophils, Paediatric cancer, Phagocytosis, Adolescent, Biomarkers, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Neoplasms, Neutrophils, Phagocytosis, Prospective Studies