Intravenous ciprofloxacin for infections in cancer patients

One hundred forty-seven cancer patients were treated with intravenously administered ciprofloxacin, 200 mg every eight hours, as initial therapy for febrile episodes. Thirty patients (20 percent) were neutropenic (less than 1,000 neutrophils/mm3) at the onset of infection. The overall clinical response rate was 78 percent, 73 percent for neutropenic patients and 79 percent for patients with adequate neutrophil counts. Favorable responses were observed in 19 of 25 patients with bacteremia, 29 of 44 patients with pneumonia, 16 of 18 patients with skin and soft-tissue infection, nine of nine patients with urinary tract infection, 10 of 11 patients with upper respiratory infection, and 26 of 34 patients with fever of undetermined origin. Gram-negative infections were associated with a response rate of 94 percent, gram-positive infections with a response rate of 75 percent, and polymicrobial infections with a response rate of 82 percent. Resistance to ciprofloxacin did not develop and no superinfections were seen. Toxicity was minor except in one patient, in whom a seizure developed. Intravenously administered ciprofloxacin is effective and safe therapy for many infections in cancer patients.