Using teicoplanin for empiric therapy of febrile neutropenic patients with haematological malignancies.

The cumulative experience with teicoplanin in treating febrile neutropenic patients included in three different comparative clinical trials conducted at a single institution during a 3-year period, is presented. 152 febrile episodes in 129 neutropenic patients were treated with i.v. teicoplanin (6 mg/kg/d) combined with amikacin (15 mg/kg/d) plus ceftazidime (90 mg/kg/d). The study population comprised 75 patients with acute leukaemia and 77 marrow recipients: 53% (81/152) had a central venous catheter in place and 68% (103/152) had severe neutropenia (less than 100/mm3) at the beginning of the febrile episode. The overall response rate of the evaluable febrile episodes was excellent: 88% (107/122) improved. Bacteraemias due to Gram-positive cocci accounted for 75% of the total (42/56) and pathogens in the blood isolates were mostly staphylococci (coagulase-negative 14, coagulase-positive 13) and streptococci (13). The response rate of Gram-positive bacteraemias was good: 88% (37/42) improved and 75% (9/12) of Gram-positive bacteraemias having teicoplanin as the only antibiotic with in vitro activity against the infective strains were cured. Death due to infection accounted for 7% of total febrile episodes (11/152). Side effects were documented in 14% of the episodes. In a setting of high prevalence of Gram-positive infections caused by strains with a high rate of resistance to aminoglycoside and beta-lactam antibiotics, there may be an advantage in including teicoplanin in the initial empiric antibiotic regimen for febrile neutropenic cancer patients.