Before starting your anticancer treatment

Information for the public

Before you start your anticancer treatment a member of your healthcare team should explain to you and your family or carers what neutropenic sepsis is, and give you written information about it. They should also tell you how and when to telephone for 24-hour specialist cancer advice or go to an emergency care unit.

For some adults a type of antibiotic called a fluoroquinolone can help to reduce the risk of developing neutropenic sepsis during anticancer treatment. If you are aged over 18 and are having treatment for acute leukaemia or a solid tumour, or are having stem cell transplantation, and your doctor thinks you might have a period of neutropenia, you should be offered a fluoroquinolone.

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics commonly used include ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin.

You should not usually be offered an injection of a hormone-like substance called G-CSF (short for granulocyte-colony stimulating factor) to reduce your risk of developing neutropenic sepsis, unless
G-CSF is part of your anticancer treatment.

Questions you might like to ask before starting your anticancer treatment

Could you tell me and my family/carers more about neutropenic sepsis?
How likely am I to get neutropenic sepsis, and how dangerous is it for me?
When should I seek advice if I think I might have neutropenic sepsis, and who should I contact?
Is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic suitable for me?