Table 1. Patient characteristics.
| Intravenous arm (tazocin+gentamicin, n=60) | Oral arm (ciprofloxacin+amoxicillin–clavulanate, n=66) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | ||
| Median (range) | 50 (18–76) | 53 (18–78) |
| Sex | ||
| Female, no. (%) | 37 (61.7) | 41 (62.1) |
| Diagnosis, no. (%) | ||
| Small-cell lung cancer | 26 (43.3) | 27 (40.9) |
| Breast | 14 (23.3) | 22 (33.3) |
| Testicular | 2 (3.3) | 3 (4.5) |
| Lymphoma | 2 (3.3) | 4 (6.1) |
| Other | 16 (26.7) | 10 (15.2) |
| Neutrophil count at presentation | ||
| Median (range) | 0.15 (0–0.9) | 0.1 (0–0.8) |
| Neutrophil count ⩽0.5 × 109 l−1 | ||
| No. (%) | 55 (91.7) | 61 (92.4) |
| Symptoms at presentation | ||
| Mild–moderate, no. (%) | ||
| Mucositis | 28 (46.7) | 30 (45.5) |
| Gastrointestinal | 4 (6.7) | 7 (10.6) |
| Respiratory | 15 (25) | 21 (31.8) |
| Genitourinary | 6 (10) | 4 (6.1) |
| No symptoms | 23 (38.3) | 23 (34.8) |
a
There were no significant differences between the two groups.