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Non-infectious causes of elevated procalcitonin and C-reactive protein serum levels in pediatric patients with hematologic and oncologic disorders

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Abstract

Background

Procalcitonin (PCT) is considered a sensitive and specific diagnostic and prognostic marker of systemic bacterial infection, but its value is questionable in certain clinical conditions, particularly in hemato-oncological patients.

Materials and methods

We analyzed PCT and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in 56 patients of a pediatric hematology–oncology unit during 110 consecutive non-infectious febrile episodes related to administration of T-cell antibodies (group A; n = 22), alemtuzumab (monoclonal CD52 antibody, CAMPATH-1H/group B; n = 8), interleukin-2 (IL-2/group C; n = 41), prophylactic donor granulocyte transfusions (group D; n = 9), or to acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD/group E; n = 10) and compared the results with 20 episodes of Gram-negative sepsis (group F).

Main results

In the majority of the non-infectious episodes PCT and CRP increased to serum levels statistically indistinguishable from Gram-negative sepsis. Median peak levels of PCT (normal < 0.5 ng/ml)/CRP (normal < 8 mg/l) for groups A–F were 4.34/59.0 (A), 10.14/93.5 (B), 1.11/175.0 (C), 1.43/164 (D), 0.96/34.0 (E), and 8.14 ng/ml /126.0 mg/l (F). Highest single levels were observed in groups A and F.

Conclusions

PCT and CRP are of limited value as diagnostic markers of sepsis during T-cell-directed immunomodulatory treatment, granulocyte support, or acute GvHD.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to Dr. Petra Ofner and Prof. Andrea Berghold from the Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Documentation for their professional assistance in statistical analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 30, 8036, Graz, Austria

    Hans Jürgen Dornbusch, Volker Strenger, Petra Sovinz, Herwig Lackner, Wolfgang Schwinger & Christian Urban

  2. Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Hospital of Leoben, Leoben, Austria

    Reinhold Kerbl

Authors
  1. Hans Jürgen Dornbusch
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  2. Volker Strenger
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  3. Petra Sovinz
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  4. Herwig Lackner
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  5. Wolfgang Schwinger
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  6. Reinhold Kerbl
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  7. Christian Urban
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hans Jürgen Dornbusch.

Additional information

The data was presented in part at the 42nd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, San Diego, USA, September 27 to 30, 2002.

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Dornbusch, H.J., Strenger, V., Sovinz, P. et al. Non-infectious causes of elevated procalcitonin and C-reactive protein serum levels in pediatric patients with hematologic and oncologic disorders. Support Care Cancer 16, 1035–1040 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-007-0381-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-007-0381-1

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