Predicting Neutropenic Sepsis in Patients with Hematologic Malignancy: A Retrospective Case-Control Study

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Oncology
• Infectious Diseases
• Biomarkers

Background:

• Neutropenic sepsis (NS) is a major cause of mortality in hematologic malignancy patients.
• Early detection of NS is critical for timely treatment initiation.
• Few studies have linked predictive factors to confirmed microbial infections in NS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify predictive factors for NS in hematologic malignancy patients.
• To determine the optimal cutoff points for predictive parameters.
• To assess the role of biomarkers and clinical characteristics in predicting NS.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case-control study of 163 patients (58 sepsis, 105 non-sepsis).
• Data collected on day of confirmed microbial infection.
• Multiple logistic regression and ROC curve analysis used to identify predictors and cutoff points.

Main Results:

• Average body temperature during fever and procalcitonin levels independently predicted NS.
• Each 1°C rise in temperature increased NS odds by 9.97 times; each 1 ng/mL rise in procalcitonin increased odds by 2.09 times.
• Optimal cutoff points: 37.9°C for temperature (AUC=0.77) and 0.55 ng/mL for procalcitonin (AUC=0.71).

Conclusions:

• Average body temperature and procalcitonin are valuable predictors of NS in hematologic malignancy patients.
• Nurses should monitor temperature and procalcitonin for early NS detection.
• These findings support proactive monitoring strategies to improve patient outcomes.