Risks of GI endoscopy in cancer patients with neutropenia and thrombocytopenia.

Background: We evaluated the safety of endoscopic procedures in cancer patients with neutropenia and/or thrombocytopenia. Methods: We collected data on patients with neutropenia and/or thrombocytopenia who underwent endoscopy between 2012 and 2022 at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Neutropenia was defined as absolute neutrophil count (ANC) <1500 cells/µL, and thrombocytopenia was defined as platelet count <50 x 10³/µL. The development of infectious AEs (fever within 3 days or positive blood cultures within 7 days following endoscopy) in neutropenic patients and bleeding AEs (new overt GI bleeding within 3 days following endoscopy) in thrombocytopenic patients were the primary outcome measures; 30-day mortality was a secondary outcome measure. Univariate and multivariate analyses by logistic regressions were used to evaluate for risk factors. Results: A total of 234 patients who underwent 329 endoscopic procedures were identified. In neutropenic patients, 7.8% (8/103) developed infectious AEs. In thrombocytopenic patients, 5.8% (12/208) developed bleeding AEs. Use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was associated with increased risk of infectious AEs (OR 5.79, Conclusions: Endoscopy in patients with neutropenia and thrombocytopenia is relatively safe and does not lead to significant morbidity. A careful risk-benefit analysis in cancer patients with poor PS should be conducted prior to endoscopy.