New rule could keep kids with cancer out of the hospital during fever
NCT ID NCT04938206
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested a clinical decision rule to identify children with cancer who have a low risk of severe infection when they develop a fever with low white blood cell counts (febrile neutropenia). The goal was to see if using this rule could safely allow for shorter hospital stays and less antibiotic treatment. The study enrolled 63 children but was terminated early, so the results are limited.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Clinical decision rule (a procedure to guide treatment decisions)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could help doctors safely reduce hospital stays and antibiotic use for low-risk children with cancer and fever.
- What could go wrong
- The study was terminated early with only 63 participants, so results are limited. The rule may not work for all children or cancer types.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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63 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2021
- Finished
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Oct 2024
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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1 year to 18 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Followed for hemopathy or cancer, * Presenting with post-chemotherapy NF, * With social security coverage, * With parents able to provide appropriate home supervision, * Consent of parents and child if able to give consent. Exclusion Criteria: * NF to diagnosis of tumor disease, * Child with palliative care, * Child who has had an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant within the past year, * NF immediately following an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant, * Participation in the study during a previous NF, * Curative antibiotic therapy or documented infection prior to admission, * Initial management at a non-investigative center, * Refusal of the child or parents to participate Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Hop Jeanne de Flandre Chu Lille
Lille, 59037, France