Efficacy and safety of micafungin as an empirical antifungal therapy for suspected fungal infection in neutropenic patients with hematological disorders.

This prospective multicenter study was performed to clarify the efficacy and safety of micafungin (MCFG) as an empirical antifungal therapy for suspected fungal infection in patients with hematological disorders and neutropenia. Three hundred and eighty-eight patients were enrolled; 151 patients with possible fungal infection diagnosed by radiological imaging or serological testing and 237 patients with refractory fever were included in this study. The mean dose and duration of treatment with MCFG were 154.6 mg/day and 14.0 days, respectively. The clinical response rate for patients with possible fungal infection and refractory fever was 60.1% and 65.3%, respectively. Even in persistent neutropenic patients with a neutrophil count of <500/μL throughout the MCFG treatment, the clinical response rate was 46.9%. Ninety-one drug-related adverse events (DAEs) were observed in 56 patients (14.4%) and 9 serious DAEs were observed in 6 patients (1.5%). Neither daily dose nor duration of MCFG treatment affected the incidence of DAEs. It was confirmed that MCFG has adequate clinical efficacy and is safe for the treatment of suspected fungal infections in patients with hematological disorders and neutropenia.