Cancer
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Comparative Study
Risk assessment of patients with hematologic malignancies who develop fever accompanied by pulmonary infiltrates: a historical cohort study.
The mortality rate associated with fever accompanied by pulmonary infiltrates after chemotherapy for hematologic malignancies remains higher than the corresponding rate associated with febrile neutropenia without pulmonary infiltrates. Nonetheless, few studies have focused on the factors that predict outcome for patients with lung infiltrates. The purpose of the current study was to construct a risk model for clinical use by assessing the factors that affect outcome for patients with fever and pulmonary infiltrates. ⋯ The risk model tested in the current study accurately predicted the survival of patients with hematologic malignancies who developed fever with pulmonary infiltrates. Once prospectively validated, the model could be used to select patients for trials involving novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.