Frequency of Infectious Mortality at the End of Induction Chemotherapy in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Lymphoma Patients: Findings From a Tertiary Care Cancer Center

Background and objective In low- and low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs), the incidence of treatment-related mortality (TRM) in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) is up to 52%. This study aimed to determine the mortality rate at the end of the induction phase of the treatment among patients with ALL and lymphoma at a tertiary care cancer center. Methods This retrospective study analyzed outcomes after induction chemotherapy in pediatric patients with acute leukemia and lymphoma at a tertiary care cancer center from January 2015 to December 2016. Information regarding demographics, clinical characteristics, and laboratory investigations were extracted and reviewed. Results Of the total 160 patients, 110 were males, and the mean age of the sample was 4.6 +2.8 years. B-cell leukemia (pre-B-ALL) was diagnosed in 84% (n=134), while 10% (n=6) had acute T-cell leukemia (pre-T-ALL) and 6% (n=10) had lymphoma. Sixteen patients (10%) died within the defined induction period, with 14 deaths occurring due to infections and two deaths resulting from chemotherapy-related toxicity. Conclusion Based on our findings, there is a significant prospect of mortality from infections during induction chemotherapy in patients with pediatric hematological malignancies.