Analysis of the correlation between septicemia and bone marrow suppression in patients with liver cancer after TACE therapy

Objective: To discuss the inducing factors of septicemia occurring in patients with liver cancer within two weeks after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), and to summarize the countermeasures of prevention and control. Methods: The clinical data and laboratory test results of 11 patients with liver cancer, who were admitted to Hainan Provincial People's Hospital of China during the period from June 2015 to August 2018 to receive TACE therapy and developed blood culture-proved septicemia after TACE, were collected. The relationship between septicemia and bone marrow suppression was analyzed. Results: Within 2 weeks after TACE, all 11 patients developed high fever (> 39.1℃) in association with bone marrow suppression manifestations such as leukopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, etc. Blood culture showed that there were salmonella infection (n = 1), enterococcus avium infection (n = 1), pseudomonas aeruginosa infection (n = 3), escherichia coli infection (n = 4) and klebsiella pneumoniae infection (n = 2) in the 11 patients. Referring to the drug sensitivity testing results, the corresponding antibiotics were employed and the patients' conditions were improved at the time of discharge. Conclusion: In patients who develop high fever in association with bone marrow suppression within 2 weeks after TACE, the occurrence probability of septicemia is obviously high. Therefore, for these patients the antibiotics should be used as early as possible so as to effectively control the infection. (J Intervent Radiol, 2020, 29:1033-1035). (authors)