[ CancerWeb Home
| Comments
| CancerWeb Report Index ]
The CancerWeb Report, What's New In Cancer
Treatment of Bacterial Infections in Chemotherapy Patients: November 1995
Last modified on:
Tuesday, April 20, 1999 13:03:12
Copyright © 1994-2008, Information Ventures, Inc.
Treatment of Bacterial Infections in Chemotherapy Patients -
The newer chemotherapy treatments are so intensive that patients
may have their bone marrows virtually wiped out. They experience
a period of very low white counts during which they are
especially susceptible to infections that could prove fatal.
Three supportive measures are used: bone marrow or blood stem
cell transplants; use of growth factors like GM-CSF to stimulate
recovery of the ability to make white cells; and intensive
antibiotic treatment. Combinations of antibiotics are generally
used for severe depletion of white cells. However, infections by
gram-positive bacteria are increasing, and these are not well
covered by the cephalosporin that is usually part of the
combination. While a drug like imipenem-cilastin works well, the
very high doses needed in severe conditions, such as in bone
marrow transplant recipients, may produce neurological effects,
or even seizures. A new broad-spectrum antibiotic, meropenem,
even when used alone, was more effective than the conventional
combination in children with cancer, according to a large trial
in Europe by the International Therapy Cooperative Group of the
EORTC and the Italian GIMEMA Infection Programme. The response
rate was 90% compared with only 47% for the combination, and just
over half the number of children, only 3.7%, experienced side-
effects. The results of the study were presented at the
Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
at Case Western Reserve University in October, 1995. The active
development and appearance of new antibiotic classes is
particularly welcome at this time, when widespread bacterial
resistance to current antibiotics is becoming a threat of crisis
proportions.
Copyright (c) 1994-2008, Information Ventures, Inc.
Mail us at: Customer-Service@infoventures.com
http://infoventures.com