Ultrasonography‐driven combination antibiotic therapy with tigecycline significantly increases survival among patients with neutropenic enterocolitis following cytarabine‐containing chemotherapy for the remission induction of acute myeloid leukemia

Neutropenic enterocolitis (NEC) is an abdominal infection reported primarily in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) following chemotherapy, especially cytarabine, a notable efficacious cytotoxic agent for AML remission. Specific data regarding the impact of different cytarabine schedules and/or antibacterial regimens for NEC are sparse. The aim of the study was to identify the predictors of outcome within 30 days of NEC onset. NEC episodes were retrospectively pinpointed among 440 patients with newly diagnosed AML hospitalized in our Institution, over a 10‐year period, for receiving chemotherapy protocols with 100–6000 mg/m2 daily of cytarabine. Two subgroups, survivors versus nonsurvivors, were compared by using logistic regression analysis. NEC was documented in 100 of 420 (23.8%) analyzed patients: 42.5% had received high‐dose cytarabine, whereas 19% and 15% intermediate‐dose and standard‐dose cytarabine, respectively (P