title: Controversies in new antibiotic therapy for ambulatory patients.
abstract: The care of the febrile neutropenic patient has undergone a shift in the last 10 years with the realization that neutropenic patients presenting with fever do not constitute a homogeneous group. Strategies of risk assessment have allowed the testing of novel therapies including outpatient treatment with oral and intravenous antibiotics, either in combination regimens or as monotherapy; the addition of growth factors to hasten the return of the absolute neutrophil count; and the possibility of self-initiation of antibiotics by cancer patients when they develop fever. The clinical trials data regarding these new approaches will be reviewed, and areas requiring further research will be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Ambulatory and Supportive Care Oncology Research Program (ASCORP), University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sundararajan
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Rubenstein
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Rolston
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Elting
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005334:Fever / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013557:Switzerland
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents