Vol.53 No.S-2 November 2005
Positioning of voriconazole in hematology
Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Mizonokuchi Hospital,
3-8-3 Mizonokuchi, Takatsu, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Abstract
In Japan, fungal infections, predominantly by Aspergillus and Candida, are a major cause of mortality in patients with acute myelogenic leukemia and after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. A questionnaire revealed that antifungal therapy in leukemia, patients, Amphotericin B (AMPH-B) or fluconazole (FLCZ) was chiefly used for prophylaxis and that FLCZ was predominantly used for empiric treatment. AMPH-B was chiefly used for targeted therapy against aspergillosis, but was often administered in insufficient doses, probably because of concern about side effects. Voriconazole is a new azole antifungal agent that has a structure similar to that of FLCZ and has strong activity against a wide range of fungi with low or no susceptibility to FLCZ, including Candida, Aspergillus, and Cryptococcus. It is promising for targeted therapy, and may also be appropriate for empiric treatment of candidiasis or aspergillosis.
Key word
voriconazole, hematology, aspergillus, prophylaxis, empiric therapy, targeted therapy
Received
July 8, 2005
Accepted
September 27, 2005
Jpn. J. Chemother. 53 (S-2): 51-55, 2005
