COMPARISON OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROCALCITONIN AND CRP WITH PROGNOSIS OF FEVER AND NEUTROPENIA IN CHILDREN WITH ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA

The present study aimed to compare the relationship between Procalcitonin and CRP with a prognosis of fever and neutropenia in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

In this descriptive-analytical study, patients with fever and neutropenia who underwent chemotherapy were included. Duration of fever, length of hospital stay, mortality rate, Procalcitonin and CRP levels, and other patient information were included in the checklist and analyzed.

In this study, 31 patients with fever and neutropenia were enrolled. The results showed that subjects with high procalcitonin levels had a longer duration of fever and hospitalization than those with lower levels of Procalcitonin. A statistically significant level was also obtained. The results of our study showed that there is a significant relationship between the level of Procalcitonin and sepsis (p = 0.001); however, the CRP level was not significantly correlated (p = 0.372).

Procalcitonin might be an adjunctive biomarker in identifying severity of disease, duration of antimicrobial therapy and choosing the right antibiotic for cancer patients with fever and neutropenia. Procalcitonin-guided algorithm may limit the duration of antibiotics, reduce adverse events, and prevent the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.