The significant factors associated with complications were grouped in three categories: (1) baseline characteristics and comorbidity: age ⩾65 years, male, ECOG ⩾2, lung tumours, absence of breast cancer, COPD and chronic heart failure; (2) biological variables: albumin <3 mg dl−1, proteins <6.4 mg dl−1, uraemia >30 mg dl−1, stress hyperglycaemia, monocytes <200 mm−3 and platelets <1 00 000 mm−3; and (3) clinical characteristics of the febrile episode: stomatitis NCI grade ⩾2, productive cough, MASCC score <21 and constitutional syndrome. Here, ALB is linked to breast carcinoma.