Table 3.

Factors possibly associated with elevating FN risk which should be considered when estimating the overall risk of FN [29]

Age >65 years

Low performance status (low Karnofsky index, high ECOG score)

Comorbidities, including COPD, heart failure (NYHA III–IV), HIV infection, autoimmune disease, marked renal impairment

Significantly advanced, symptomatic tumor disease

Prior chemotherapy

Laboratory parameters, including anemia, lymphocytopenia (< 700 cells/μl), hyperalbuminuria, hyperbilirubinemia

This table is based on the German G-CSF guidelines group consensus statement [29]. All factors listed in this table are likely to increase the risk of FN, particularly when present in combination. Many other comorbidities have been linked with a possible increase in the risk of FN, but their associated risks have not been definitively proven. These factors should be considered when estimating the overall risk of FN

COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ECOG Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, FN febrile neutropenia, G-CSF granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, HIV human immunodeficiency virus, NYHA New York Heart Association