Incidence of Chemotherapy-Induced Fever and Neutropenia in Different Chemotherapy Regimens in Hospitalized Patients with Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer

Chemotherapy-induced fever and neutropenia are side effects of chemotherapy regimens that, in addition to disrupting the treatment process of patients, threaten their health as well. In this study, the prevalence of chemotherapy-induced fever and neutropenia in different chemotherapy regimens in hospitalized patients with non-metastatic breast cancer was investigated.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 200 adult patients hospitalized at Seyed al-Shohada (Omid) Hospital in Isfahan, Iran, from 2016 to 2021 due to breast cancer were selected. These patients had received chemotherapy regimens including AC, AC-T, and TAXANE. The data were extracted from the breast cancer registry and the hospital's HIS systems and analyzed with the SPSS software at a 95% confidence level.

The mean age of the patients was 46.90±11.28 years. The frequency of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and fever was 15.5% and 9.5%, respectively. A significant relationship was observed between chemotherapy-induced fever and neutropenia with older age, higher cancer stage, and hypertension (P<0.05 for all). However, no significant relationship was found between the type of chemotherapy regimen and diabetes.

Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and fever caused by neutropenia are relatively common side effects in breast cancer chemotherapy regimens. Older age, higher stage of cancer, and hypertension increased the prevalence of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and neutropenia-induced fever.