Clinical Practice Guideline for Outpatient Management of Fever and Neutropenia in Adults Treated for Malignancy: Update by ASCO/IDSA

Update History

This updated joint American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)/Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guideline provides direction on outpatient management of fever and neutropenia in patients with cancer.

Abstract

Purpose

To provide an updated joint ASCO/Infectious Diseases Society of American (IDSA) guideline on outpatient management of fever and neutropenia in patients with cancer.

Methods

ASCO and IDSA convened an Update Expert Panel and conducted a systematic review of relevant studies. The guideline recommendations were based on the review of evidence by the Expert Panel.

Results

Six new or updated meta-analyses and six new primary studies were added to the updated systematic review.

Recommendation

Clinical judgment is recommended when determining which patients are candidates for outpatient management, using clinical criteria or a validated tool such as the Multinational Association of Support Care in Cancer risk index. In addition, psychosocial and logistic considerations are outlined within the guideline. The panel continued to endorse consensus recommendations from the previous version of this guideline that patients with febrile neutropenia receive initial doses of empirical antibacterial therapy within 1 hour of triage and be monitored for ≥ 4 hours before discharge. An oral fluoroquinolone plus amoxicillin/clavulanate (or clindamycin, if penicillin allergic) is recommended as empirical outpatient therapy, unless fluoroquinolone prophylaxis was used before fever developed. Patients who do not defervesce after 2 to 3 days of an initial, empirical, broad-spectrum antibiotic regimen should be re-evaluated and considered as candidates for inpatient treatment.

For more information, please visit www.asco.org/supportive-care-guidelines and the ASCO website online.