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CompletedNCT02149329SHORTUpdated Sep 25, 2019

Short Versus Extended Antibiotic Treatment With a Carbapenem for High-risk Febrile Neutropenia in Hematology Patients With FUO

A Phase 4 interventional study of Discontinuation of imipenem-cilastatin or meropenem in Febrile Neutropenia and Hematological Malignancy, sponsored by Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc. Completed at 2 sites in Netherlands. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-09-25.

Sponsored by Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
276
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

A multicenter open-label non-inferiority randomized clinical trial comparing the safety (non-inferiority) of short antibiotic treatment (72 hours) with an anti-pseudomonal carbapenem with regard to treatment failure in comparison with extended treatment (at least 9 days) of high-risk febrile neutropenia in hematology patients receiving standard antimicrobial prophylaxis.

Read the detailed description

Episodes of fever are very common in patients undergoing intensive chemotherapy treatment for malignant hematological disease. More than 80% of patients experience one or more episodes of fever after their first cycle of chemotherapy. Only 20-30% of these patients have a clinically documented focus and mostly include infections of skin, intestinal tract and lung, while at most 10-25% of these patients have microbiologically proven bacteremia during these episodes. Patients with malignant hematological diseases and intensive chemotherapy induced neutropenia are extremely prone to overwhelming bacterial infections. Therefore, empirical antibiotic treatment is initiated at the first occurrence of fever, even if no apparent cause for the fever is evident. Most protocols advice treatment with very broad-spectrum antibiotics, mostly anti-pseudomonal carbapenems or fourth generation anti-pseudomonal cephalosporins.

Prolonged continuation of treatment may induce bacterial resistance. In view of the possible emergence of bacterial resistance due to prolonged antibiotic administration, continuation until recovery of neutropenia is suboptimal because it is costly because of longer hospital admissions, higher antibiotics costs and more possible adverse reactions.

Recent observational data (Slobbe et al) has showed that in adult hematological patients with febrile neutropenia, discontinuation of empiric antibacterial therapy after three days can be safe if no infectious etiology can be found, even in cases with persistent fever. However no RCT has hitherto been performed to support this observational data.

This study compares the safety (non-inferiority) of short treatment (72 hours) versus extended treatment (at least 9 days) with an anti-pseudomonal carbapenem for hematology patients with unexplained high risk febrile neutropenia. We hypothesize that a more restrictive use of broad-spectrum antibiotic use of three days in unexplained fever in neutropenic hematology patients is non-inferior to the present extended use during at least 9 days which would lead to a more restrictive use of antibiotics and less multiresistant strains of bacteria, costs and hospitalization length in the future.

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Conditions studied

  • Febrile Neutropenia
  • Hematological Malignancy

Keywords

  • fever
  • neutropenia
  • febrile neutropenia
  • carbapenem
  • imipenem
  • meropenem
  • antibiotic stewardship
  • hematology
  • oncology
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In context

Hematologic Neoplasms

1,464 studies on the registry are indexed under Hematologic Neoplasms; 433 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 276 is above the median of 45 across 1,068 interventional studies indexed under Hematologic Neoplasms.

Browse Hematologic Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc is the lead sponsor of 302 studies on the registry; 84 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  1. Patients with malignant hematological diseases being treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation;
  2. High-risk neutropenia (Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \<0.5x109/L which is expected to last longer than 7 days);
  3. Fever (One single measured tympanic membrane temperature of >38.5°C or a temperature of >38.0°C during 2 subsequent measurements separated by at least 2 hours);
  4. Age 18 years or older;
  5. Written informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Contraindications to use of imipenem-cilastatin or meropenem such as allergy, previous severe side-effects or previous microbiological cultures with carbapenem-resistant microorganism(s).
  2. Corticosteroid use ≥10 mg per day prednisolone or equivalent for more than 3 consecutive day during the previous 7 days.
  3. Clinically or microbiologically documented infection.
  4. Symptoms of septic shock (systolic blood pressure \<90 mm Hg unresponsive to fluid resuscitation and/or oliguria (urine production \<500mL/day).
  5. Previous enrollment in this study during the same episode of neutropenia.
  6. Any critical illness for which Intensive Care Unit treatment is required.
  7. Legal incompetency
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Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
276 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Short treatment

    Discontinuation of imipenem-cilastatin or meropenem after 3x24 hours irrespective of presence of fever.

    Drug: Discontinuation of imipenem-cilastatin or meropenem

  • No intervention
    Extended treatment

    Extended treatment with imipenem-cilastatin or meropenem for at least 6 more days. The treatment with a carbapenem will be continued until patients have been treated for at least 9x24 hours and have been afebrile (tympanic membrane temperature \<38.0°C) for at least five consecutive days or until resolution of neutropenia (ANC \> 0,5 x10\^9/L), whichever comes first.

Interventions

  • DrugDiscontinuation of imipenem-cilastatin or meropenem

    Discontinuation of imipenem-cilastatin or meropenem after 3x24 hours irrespective of presence of fever.

    Also known as: tienam (imipenem-cilastatin)

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. The percentage of patients with failed treatment

    Treatment failure is defined as the occurrence of one of the following events after 3x24 hours and before 9x24hours after treatment initiation with a carbapenem: -A clinically or microbiologically documented carbapenem-sensitive infection; treatment. Recurrence of fever after previous defervescence (tympanic temperature \<38.0 °C during 24 hours) which is not attributable to administration of a blood product or to a drug reaction. o In case of clinical doubt whether the fever is of infectious etiology, the recurrence of fever will be considered as failure.

    Time frame: Between randomization (at 3x24 hours) and before 9x24hours after treatment initiation)

  2. Death/ARDS or Septic shock

    The occurrence of death, ARDS/respiratory insufficiency, septic shock (systolic blood pressure \<90 mmHg and oliguria \<500 mL/day) due to any cause.

    Time frame: From randomization until the end of neutropenia (neutrophil count >=0.5x10e9/L) up to 6 months after randomization.

Secondary outcomes

  1. All-cause mortality.

    Time frame: 1. From 3x24hours of treatment until the end of neutropenia. 2. Within 30 days after the end of neutropenia

  2. Infection-related mortality.

    Time frame: 1. From 3x24hours of treatment until the end of neutropenia. 2.Within 30 days after recovery of neutropenia

  3. The length of hospitalization in days.

    Time frame: From admission until discharge, with an estimated average of 4 weeks

  4. Treatment strategy failure

    Treatment strategy failure is defined as occurrence of any of the following events after 3x24hours of treatment with a carbapenem and until the end of the neutropenic episode: 1. Any clinically or microbiologically documented infection. 2. The recurrence of fever after previous defervescence during neutropenia. 3. Death, septic shock or ARDS/respiratory failure due to any cause 4. Adverse drug-related events due to a carbapenem requiring (temporary) interruption of treatment, including but not exclusively: liver and kidney dysfunction, convulsion and allergic reactions. 5. Unexpected re-admission within 30 days after discharge other than for planned chemotherapy or other elective treatment. 6. Antibiotic or antifungal treatment within 30days after discharge other than standard antibiotic prophylaxis.

    Time frame: after 3x24hours of treatment with a carbapenem and until the end of the neutropenic episode

  5. The total number of febrile episodes during neutropenia.

    Time frame: From the start of neutropenia (ANC<0.5x10^9) until the end of neutropenia, an expected average of 21 days

  6. Time to defervescence

    Fever is defined as one single measured tympanic membrane temperature of \>38.5°C or a temperature of \>38.0°C during 2 subsequent measurements separated by at least 2 hours. Defervescence is defined as three times a tympanic membrane temperature \<37.5 °C with a minimal measurement interval of at least 8 hours

    Time frame: Onset of fever until defervenscence, an expected average of 5 days.

  7. Incidence and prevalence of Clostridium difficile infection

    Time frame: Onset of fever until 30 days after the end of neutropenia.

  8. Candida spp. colonization in (surveillance) cultures

    Time frame: From onset of fever until 30 days after the end of neutropenia.

  9. Cost of antimicrobial therapy per admission

    Time frame: From admission until discharge, with an estimated average of 4 weeks

  10. The percentage of patients with a MASCC-score≥21 and treatment failure (defined as in primary endpoint)

    Time frame: From the onset of fever until the end of the neutropenic episode, with an estimated average of 21 days.

  11. The percentage of patients with mucositis and positive blood cultures or short treatment failure.

    Time frame: From onset of fever until 30 days after end of neutropenia.

  12. Bacterial resistance in blood cultures and surveillance cultures (including minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC)).

    Time frame: All previous cultures and cultures performed until 30 days after the end of neutropenia.

  13. The incidence and prevalence of fungal, viral, or carbapenem-resistant (inherent/acquired) infections until the end of neutropenia

    Time frame: om the onset of fever until the end of the neutropenic episode, with an estimated average of 21 days.

  14. Late treatment failure

    Defined as primary endpoint.

    Time frame: Between 9x24hours and 14x24hours after onset of treatment with a carbapemen.

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Study locations

2 sites
  • VU university medical center
    Amsterdam, 1081 HV, Netherlands
  • HAGA ziekenhuis
    The Hague, Netherlands
08

References and documents

Publications

  • de Jonge NA, Sikkens JJ, Zweegman S, Beeker A, Ypma P, Herbers AH, Vasmel W, de Kreuk A, Coenen JLLM, Lissenberg-Witte B, Kramer MHH, van Agtmael MA, Janssen JJWM. Short versus extended treatment with a carbapenem in patients with high-risk fever of unknown origin during neutropenia: a non-inferiority, open-label, multicentre, randomised trial. Lancet Haematol. 2022 Aug;9(8):e563-e572. doi: 10.1016/S2352-3026(22)00145-4. Epub 2022 Jun 9. Erratum In: Lancet Haematol. 2022 Sep;9(9):e641. doi: 10.1016/S2352-3026(22)00261-7. PubMed 35691326 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 25, 2019, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02149329
Lead sponsor
Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc
Collaborators
ZonMw: The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, FondsNutsOhra
Responsible party
Nick de Jonge (MD, Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc) — Principal investigator
First posted
May 29, 2014
Start date
Dec 2014
Primary completion
Aug 5, 2019
Completion
Aug 5, 2019
Last update
Sep 25, 2019

Study contacts

Jeroen JWM Janssen, MD, PhD
principal investigator · Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc
Michiel A van Agtmael, MD, PhD
principal investigator · Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc
Mark MH Kramer, Prof., MD
study chair · Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc
Sonja Zweegman, Prof.,MD
study chair · Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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