The risk for invasive bacterial infection (IBI) in cancer pediatric patients with febrile neutropenia, is variable. Clinicians worldwide are increasingly considering selective strategies for children at low risk for IBI, including shortened antimicrobial course, early hospital discharge, oral antimicrobial treatment, and management as outpatients. These strategies would significantly benefit these children and health care systems. The critical issue is to identify the most reliable risk factors useful for selection of those individuals who are at low risk for IBI. In Chile, during the past 10 years, a group of physicians from the Subcommittee of Infectious Diseases of the National Child Program of Antineoplastic Drugs and the University of Chile have worked to develop more selective strategies for pediatric patients with cancer, fever and neutropenia. During 1996-1997 we identified risk factors of IBI in a group of 447 febrile neutropenic episodes. During 1999-2000 we validated these risk factors in a prospective study that included 263 febrile neutropenic episodes. A model of risk prediction was developed and is currently being evaluated for the selection of low risk patients who are treated as inpatients for 24 hours, followed by outpatient treatment.