Fluconazole for empiric antifungal therapy in cancer patients with fever and neutropenia

BMC Infectious Diseases

Table 1 Measure of Treatment Failure

Variable, No. (%)	All n = 103
Treatment failure	42 (40.8)
Reason for treatment failure *
Positive fungal cultures **	20 (19.4)
During empiric fluconazole therapy	16 (15.5)
From day 1 to 7 after fluconazole stopped	6 (5.8)
Persistent fever with negative bacterial and fungal cultures †	19 (18.5)
During empiric fluconazole therapy	17 (16.5)
From day 1 to 7 after fluconazole stopped	4 (3.9)
ADE/toxicity due to fluconazole	1 (1.0)
Death within 7 days after fluconazole stopped	5 (4.9)

ADE, adverse drug event; * Three patients had multiple major reasons including 1 patient had positive fungal culture within 7 days after fluconazole stopped and persistent fever with negative bacterial and fungal cultures during empiric therapy, and 2 patients had persistent fever after initiation of fluconazole and died within 7 days after the end of fluconazole therapy; ** Positive fungal cultures referred to positive tests on specimen from blood, bronchial alverolar lavage, sputum, stool, urine and catheter tips and no report of negative results for repeated test on specimen from the same site, † fever present at least on the last day of fluconazole course and/or on day 7 after fluconazole stopped.

ISSN: 1471-2334