Bacteremia and fungemia in patients with neoplastic disease Journal Article


Authors: Whimbey, E.; Kiehn, T. E.; Brannon, P.; Blevins, A.; Armstrong, D.
Article Title: Bacteremia and fungemia in patients with neoplastic disease
Abstract: This study reviewed 431 episodes of septicemia occurring in 356 patients with cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center during 1982. The most frequent organisms causing 273 episodes in 239 nonneutropenic patients were Escherichia coli (20 percent), Staphylococcus aureus (13 percent), polymicrobic (12 percent), Pseudomonas species (8 percent), Klebsiella species (7 percent), Candida species (7 percent), Bacteroides species (6 percent), Enterobacter species (4 percent), and Clostridium species (4 percent). The overall mortality was 31 percent (21 percent with adequate therapy; 50 percent with inadequate therapy). The most frequent organisms causing 158 episodes in 117 neutropenic patients were polymicrobic (21 percent), E. coli (16 percent), Klebsiella species (15 percent), Pseudomonas species (8 percent), Candida species (6 percent), S. aureus (6 percent), Streptococcus faecalis (5 percent), S. epidermidis (4 percent), and Corynebacterium CDC-JK (3 percent). The overall mortality was 52 percent (36 percent with adequate therapy; 88 percent with inadequate therapy). Since a review a decade ago, the spectrum of organisms changed in that the gram-positive organisms, S. faecalis, S. epidermidis, and C. CDC-JK, emerged as important pathogens. Neutropenic patients had a high incidence (42 percent) of septicemia due to multiple organisms, occurring concurrently or sequentially. The overall mortality of these patients was exceptionally high (80 percent). In contrast, the overall mortality of neutropenic patients with single-organism septicemia was comparable to that of non-neutropenic patients with single-organism septicemia (37 percent versus 29 percent). © 1987.
Keywords: adolescent; adult; aged; aged, 80 and over; major clinical study; mortality; neutropenia; neoplasms; blood; bacteremia; fungi; fatality; middle age; septicemia; fungemia; cancer; prognosis; human; male; female
Journal Title: The American Journal of Medicine
Volume: 82
Issue: 4
ISSN: 0002-9343
Publisher: Elsevier Inc.  
Date Published: 1987-04-01
Start Page: 723
End Page: 730
Language: English
DOI: 10.1016/0002-9343(87)90007-6
PUBMED: 3565430
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Export Date: 5 February 2021 -- Source: Scopus
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  1. Timothy E Kiehn
    101 Kiehn
  2. Donald Armstrong
    242 Armstrong