Pharmaceutica Analytica Acta

Abstract

Neutropenia onset, Severity and their Association with Solid Cancer Diseases

Bassam Abdul Rasool Hassan, Zuraidah Binti Mohd Yusoff and Saad Bin Othman

Background: Neutropenia is a decreased in the absolute neutrophil count lower than the normal that is < 1500 cell/ μl. It has a detrimental effect on cancer patients’ quality of life, also possibly resulting in a reduction in the chemotherapy dose which could lead to an increment in the size of a cancer. There are so many causative factors for neutropenia like hematological disorders, autoimmune diseases and infection, drugs reactions and chemotherapy or radiotherapy. So the main aim of this study is to find the association between solid cancer diseases with onset and severity of neutropenia.

Methods: This an observational retrospective study conducted on 117 solid cancer patients who received chemotherapy as a treatment and as a result of that they suffer from neutropenia, this study retrospectively cover the period between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2006. Statistical analysis methods used were Chi-square test, Fisher’s Exact test. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05.

Results: The total number of the patients involve was 117 neutropenic patients they suffer from 19 th different solid cancer diseases. Breast cancer was the predominant once it was found (75, 64.1%) followed by nasopharyngeal cancer 9 (7.7%), rectal cancer 9 (7.7%) and many others. The main finding of this study was insignificant association between solid cancer diseases with both onset and severity of neutropenia since the P values for both tests >0.05.

Conclusion: Solid tumor is not considered as a risk factor for neither onset nor severity of neutropenia not like the hematological cancer diseases which play a risk role in these cases. Then the main risk factor for neutropenia within solid cancer patients is the chemotherapy intensity they receive for as a treatment.