Comparing Ciprofloxacin and Ceftazidime as First Antibiotics for High-Risk Fever in Children with Blood Cancers

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to compare the use of ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime in treating high-risk fever caused by low neutrophil count in children with hematological malignancies. It focuses on children aged 0 to 18 years diagnosed with blood cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloblastic leukemia, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The study evaluates which antibiotic works better as a first-choice treatment and investigates factors influencing response to these drugs. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either intravenous ciprofloxacin at 10 mgkg every 12 hours or intravenous ceftazidime at 150 mgkg per day divided into three doses. The treatments are given during hospitalization between June and December 2025. Both groups will be monitored for outcomes like the length of fever, duration of low white blood cell count, hospital stay length, antibiotic use duration, any changes in antibiotic treatment, and death rates. Throughout the trial, participants will undergo medical history collection, physical exams, and supportive tests. Researchers will track key measures including duration of fever and neutropenia from the start of antibiotic treatment, hospitalization duration, and antibiotic escalation decisions. Safety and mortality will also be assessed up to 30 days after enrollment. This comprehensive monitoring aims to understand the effectiveness and clinical impact of these antibiotics in managing high-risk neutropenic fever in children with blood cancers.

Ciprofloxacin vs Ceftazidime for Empirical Treatment of High-Risk Neutropenic Fever in Children With Hematologic Malignancies