Neoplastic fever responds to the treatment of an adequate dose of naproxen.

Twenty-one patients with neoplastic fever due to malignancy were treated with naproxen. A prompt and complete lysis of fever was obtained in 20 patients within 12 hours when an adequate dose of naproxen was given, and a sustained normal temperature was maintained in all responding patients while receiving naproxen except for one in whom a low grade fever recurred. Lysis of fever usually was followed by excessive sweating and subjective symptomatic improvement. However, when naproxen was discontinued in ten patients, febrile state to the pretreatment level recurred in seven patients within three days. This observation suggests naproxen has a definite and effective antipyretic activity against neoplastic fever although it may recur as the drug is discontinued. Naproxen may be a useful adjunctive agent in patients with neoplastic fever for a short-term symptomatic relief.