Treatment of deep mycoses with liposomal amphotericin B

Amphotericin B is the mainstay of therapy of many deep mycoses, but its use is seriously hampered by dose-limiting nephrotoxicity. In this study a liposomal formulation of amphotericin B was administered to ten patients with proven deep mycoses: invasive aspergillosis (n = 4), deep candidiasis (n = 4) and zygomycosis (n = 2). The mean daily dosage of liposomal amphotericin B was 3.0 mg/kg (range 2.5 to 4 mg/kg), the mean total dosage of liposomal amphotericin B 2,781 mg (range 87 to 5,220 mg) and the mean duration of treatment 17 days (range 3 to 33 days). Treatment with liposomal amphotericin B was associated with little nephrotoxicity and an overall survival rate of 50%. The median increase of serum creatinine from baseline levels was 0.38 mg/dl (-1.2 to 2.6 mg/dl).