Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39812021›Full record

ArticleClinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America2025

Improving Urinary Tract Infection Diagnostics in Oncology: Reliability of Reflex Urine Culture in Immunosuppressed Neutropenic and Non-neutropenic Cancer Patients.

Justin C Laracy, June L Chan, Rich Kodama, Judy Yan, Kevin M Raible, Kent Sepkowitz, Lauren McVoy, N Esther Babady, Mini Kamboj

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Urinary tract infections in immunocompromised patients.Current opinion in infectious diseases · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Justin C LaracyInfection Control, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0710-565X
June L ChanClinical Microbiology Service, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5435-5558
Rich KodamaInfection Control, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.
Judy YanInfection Control, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.ORCID 0009-0005-2174-218X
Kevin M RaibleClinical Microbiology Service, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Portland, Oregon, USA.ORCID 0009-0009-9287-2407
Kent SepkowitzInfectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.
Lauren McVoyClinical Hematology Service, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.
N Esther BabadyInfectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.
Mini KambojInfection Control, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.

Funding

X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHYP30CA008748 · NCI · SLOAN-KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RES · PI Hongbiao Carl Lekaye · 1985 to 2026
$347.4M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA008748
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUrinary tract infections are prone to overdiagnosis, and reflex urine culture protocols offer a valuable opportunity for diagnostic stewardship in this arena. However, there is no recommended standard testing approach. Patients with cancer are often excluded from reflex urine culture protocols, especially if they are severely immunosuppressed or neutropenic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance characteristics of urine screening studies, including dipstick urinalysis for nitrite and leukocyte esterase and urine microscopy for white blood cell count, to detect significant pathogen growth.

methodsA retrospective study of 58 098 urine cultures with a paired dipstick urinalysis with or without urine microscopy was performed at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, evaluating data from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2020. A dipstick urinalysis was considered negative only if leukocyte esterase and nitrite were undetected.

resultsA negative dipstick urinalysis had a negative predictive value of 98% for clinically significant bacteriuria in voided urine and 95% for catheterized urine. Notably, a negative urine dipstick test screen maintained a high negative predictive value among patients with neutropenia and in those with antibiotic exposure before testing. Finally, the presence of pyuria ≥10 white blood cells per high-power field on urine microscopy offered negligible incremental diagnostic benefit in samples with a negative dipstick urinalysis.

conclusionsReflex urine culture protocols contingent upon a screening dipstick urinalysis are a safe and effective platform for diagnostic stewardship in patients with cancer including those with neutropenia.

Indexed as

Immunocompromised HostNeoplasmsNeutropeniaUrinalysisUrinary Tract InfectionsAdultAgedAged, 80 and overCarboxylic Ester HydrolasesFemaleHumansLeukocyte CountMaleMiddle AgedPredictive Value of TestsReproducibility of ResultsCarboxylic Ester Hydrolasesleukocyte esterasediagnostic stewardshipquality improvementreflex urine cultureurinalysisurine microscopy

Identifiers

PMID39812021
PMCPMC12499952

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.