Prediction of infectious events by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level before undergoing chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukaemia

We retrospectively evaluated the serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) level before chemotherapy for the prediction of infectious events during neutropenia in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia. Thirty-eight patients who underwent first induction chemotherapy and 37 patients who underwent first consolidation chemotherapy were analyzed separately. A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve revealed that the serum CRP level just before the first consolidation chemotherapy, but not just before the induction chemotherapy, had a significant predictive value for febrile neutropenia (FN) at a cut-off value of 0.19 mg/dl and documented infection (DI) at a cut-off value of 0.26 mg/dl. The high-sensitivity CRP measurement enabled the detection of slight increases in the serum CRP level, which might reflect a minute inflammation by occult infection, and discriminated high-risk patients for infectious events.