Premium
Vincristine‐induced fever in children with leukemia and lymphoma
Author(s) -
Ishii Eiichi,
Hara Toshiro,
Mizuno Yumi,
Ueda Kohji
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19880215)61:4<660::aid-cncr2820610407>3.0.co;2-2
Subject(s) - medicine , vincristine , incidence (geometry) , pediatrics , leukemia , corticosteroid , lymphoma , chemotherapy , fever of unknown origin , acute lymphocytic leukemia , surgery , lymphoblastic leukemia , cyclophosphamide , physics , optics
Thirty‐one children with leukemia or lymphoma treated with multi‐drug chemotherapy for more than 2 years were reviewed to identify and characterize the occurrence of febrile episodes related to vincristine (VCR) injection. In nine of the 31 children, more than two febrile episodes apparently attributable to VCR during maintenance therapy were identified. No such episodes were found to have occurred during induction therapy. The median age at diagnosis of these nine children was 3.2 ± 1.6 years, significantly lower than the 6.8 ± 4 years of the other 22 children ( P < 0.01). No significant difference was observed between these two groups in laboratory data obtained before the VCR injections, and the drugs used in combination with VCR were apparently unrelated to the incidence of febrile episodes. All of these febrile episodes began within 24 hours after VCR injection. Peak levels of 38°C to 39°C occurred 6 to 24 hours after onset. The episodes also were accompanied by mild, general fatigue and a loss of appetite. They ranged in duration from half of a day to 4 days, but those persisting more than 3 days occurred in three of the five children whose regimens did not include corticosteroid. The results thus suggest that fever is an immediate reaction to the toxicity of VCR in young children, and that the duration of fever can be shortened by combining VCR with corticosteroid.