International Journal of Hematology and Oncology 2023, Vol 33, Num 4 Page(s): 013-018
NEUTROPENIC ENTEROCOLITIS IN PATIENTS WITH CHEMOTHERAPY ADMINISTERED ACUTE LEUKEMIA: STILL AN IMPORTANT PROBLEM

RAMAZAN SARI1, SÜLEYMAN ÖZEN1, ALPER SEVİNÇ1, İSMET AYDOĞDU1

İnönü Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Turgut Özal Tıp Merkezi İç Hastalıkları, MALATYA

Keywords: neutropenic enterocolitis, acute leukemia, and therapy.
Neutropenic enterocolitis is one of the rare fatal complications of chemotherapy characterized by peritoneal irritation signs, severe abdominal pain, abdominal distention, diarrhea, and fever in-patients with neutropenia. Because of unfavorable conditions for surgical intervention, treatment of enterocolitis is under debate. However, a primary medical approach is suggested prior to surgical intervention if signs of peritonitis and perforation do not appear. In this study, the clinical signs of three patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia who developed neutropenic enterocolitis were evaluated. In all of the three patients, peritoneal irritation signs, fever, abdominal distention, ascites, hypotension, and signs of organ failure were encountered. Oral nutrition was immediately stopped besides gastrointestinal decompression, antibiotic therapy, blood transfusion, partial parenteral nutrition, and fluid-electrolyte balance. However one of the patients was diagnosed as intestinal perforation by clinical and laboratory investigation and finally operated. After having diagnosed as neutropenic enterocolitis, all three cases were lost in the first 4 to 9 days. In conclusion, chemotherapy applied patients with acute leukemia showed be carefully evaluated for neutropenic enterocolitis