Fever is a paraneoplastic finding that can be burdensome for the patient. Causes of fever associated with a neoplasm may include tumor necrosis and cytokine release.
Criteria:
(1) The patient has a neoplasm.
(2) The body temperature is >= 38.5°C (101.3°F; others use >= 38.3°C).
(3) The elevation in the body temperature is persistent although there may be some variation in severity.
(4) The onset of fever was after development of the neoplasm.
(5) Other explanations for fever have been excluded.
Causes of fever in the differential diagnosis of neoplastic fever:
(1) infection
(2) drugs
(3) blood products
(4) allergy
Neoplastic fever often responds to an adequate dose of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent (NSAID) such as naproxen. A decrease in body temperature during a course of naproxen can be used to evaluate a patient with fever of unknown origin (FUO).
To read more or access our algorithms and calculators, please log in or register.
