Role of procalcitonin in the diagnosis of severe infection in pediatric patients with fever and Neutropenia--a systemic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of the procalcitonin (PCT) test for diagnosis of bacterial sepsis in pediatric cancer patients with febrile neutropenia.

Methods: Three major databases, MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies that evaluated the diagnostic value of PCT alone or compared with other laboratory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) to identify bacterial sepsis in children with fever and neutropenia. A bivariate model was used to derive summary sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic tests.