Management of viral infections in immunocompromised cancer patients.
Immunocompromised cancer patients are at elevated risk for serious viral disease. The introduction into clinical use of potent antiviral agents and of rapid diagnostic tests resulted in the development of efficient management strategies for infections due to herpes simplex virus, varicellazoster virus, and cytomegalovirus. The emergence of herpesvirus resistance to acyclovir, ganciclovir, cidofovir, or foscarnet represents an important challenge. The new neuraminidase inhibitors zanamivir and oseltamivir are efficacious in the treatment of influenza in otherwise healthy adults, and need to be investigated among immunodeficient patients with malignancy. Preliminary data on pleconaril, a first broad-spectrum anti-picornaviral compound, are promising.
Reusser
Pierre
P
Division of Medicine, Hôpital régional, Porrentruy, Switzerland. pierre.reusser@cgh.ch
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000188:drug therapy; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000188:drug therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D010850:Picornaviridae Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000998:Antiviral Agents