Key clinical point: Outpatient vs. inpatient neutropenia management after chemotherapy was not associated with an increased bacteremia incidence, treatment delays, or worse health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Major finding: Bacteremia incidence (adjusted risk ratio 0.73; P = .08), mean time to next chemotherapy course (intensification I: adjusted mean difference [ D] −1.0; P = .51; intensification II: D −1.5; P = .79), and HRQoL (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core Scales total score: D −2.8; P = .56) were not significantly different with outpatient vs. inpatient neutropenia management.
Study details: This cohort study included 554 pediatric patients with AML who received frontline chemotherapy with either outpatient or inpatient neutropenia management.
Disclosures: This study was supported by Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and partly by an award from the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to KD Getz. Some investigators, including the lead author, reported receiving grants and personal fees and being a member of the data safety monitoring board for various sources including PCORI and NHLBI.
Source: Getz KD et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2021(Oct 28). Doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.28385.