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Ciprofloxacin could prevent fever in some children with ALL

Ciprofloxacin may prevent fever in pediatric patients with a specific type of cancer who are starting chemotherapy, according to study results published online.

Kamolwish Laoprasopwattana, MD, of the department of pediatrics at Prince of Songkla University in Thailand, and colleagues enrolled 95 children aged younger than 18 years with acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoma into their study. The children were randomly assigned to receive 20 mg/kg/day of oral ciprofloxacin or placebo from the beginning of their chemotherapy.

Of the patients who had neutropenia, the children with ALL (n=71) who received ciprofloxacin were 25% less likely to have fever vs. children who received placebo. The researchers did not report the same results in children with lymphoma (n=24), however. The down side, researchers said, is that the percentages of intestinal Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia that were susceptible to ciprofloxacin were lower after treatment.

The researchers said there were some limitations to the study; specifically, the small sample size, and adverse events related to ciprofloxacin were difficult to measure.

“Due to the selective pressure of intestinal flora resistance to ciprofloxacin, the long-term effectiveness needs further investigation,” they said.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.

Kamolwish Laoprasopwattana, MD, can be reached at kamolwish@gmail.com.