Skip Navigation



JAC Advance Access published online on March 24, 2004
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, doi:10.1093/jac/dkh179
© 2004 by The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
53/5/878    most recent
dkh179v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kartsonis, N. A.
Right arrow Articles by Sable, C. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kartsonis, N. A.
Right arrow Articles by Sable, C. A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 2004 The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

Brief report

Second-line therapy with caspofungin for mucosal or invasive candidiasis: results from the caspofungin compassionate-use study

Nicholas A. Kartsonis 1 *, Alfred Saah 1 , C. Joy Lipka 1 , Arlene Taylor 1 , and Carole A. Sable 1

1 Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA, USA

* Corresponding author. E-mail: nicholas_kartsonis{at}merck.com.

Received 28 August 2003 ; revised 30 January 2004 ; accepted 10 February 2004

Abstract

Objectives: To prospectively assess the efficacy and safety of caspofungin as second-line therapy for mucosal or invasive candidiasis in patients enrolled in the caspofungin compassionate-use study.

Materials and methods: Thirty-seven patients with mucosal or invasive candida infections (17 oesophageal, four oropharyngeal and 16 invasive candidiasis) were enrolled in the caspofungin compassionate-use study. All patients were refractory to or intolerant of intravenous amphotericin B or lipid amphotericin formulation(s). Efficacy was assessed at the end of intravenous caspofungin therapy based on clinical (and, where appropriate, microbiological) response.

Results: HIV was the most common (91%) risk factor in patients with mucosal candidiasis; patients with invasive candidiasis commonly had acute leukaemia/lymphoma (50%) or diabetes mellitus (31%). Most patients with mucosal candidiasis (91%) and invasive candidiasis (94%) were refractory to >=1 antifungal agent(s). A favourable response was noted in 82% (14/17) with oesophageal candidiasis, 100% (4/4) with oropharyngeal candidiasis and 87% (13/15) with invasive candidiasis. Caspofungin was generally well tolerated; one serious drug-related adverse event was reported.

Conclusion: In this study, caspofungin was an effective alternative for patients with refractory candida infections.

Keywords: Candida, echinocandins, novel antifungal treatment
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J Antimicrob ChemotherHome page
H. Kolve, E. Ahlke, W. Fegeler, J. Ritter, H. Jurgens, and A. H. Groll
Safety, tolerance and outcome of treatment with liposomal amphotericin B in paediatric patients with cancer or undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation
J. Antimicrob. Chemother., August 1, 2009; 64(2): 383 - 387.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Antimicrob ChemotherHome page
O. A. Cornely, M. Lasso, R. Betts, N. Klimko, J. Vazquez, G. Dobb, J. Velez, A. Williams-Diaz, J. Lipka, A. Taylor, et al.
Caspofungin for the treatment of less common forms of invasive candidiasis
J. Antimicrob. Chemother., August 1, 2007; 60(2): 363 - 369.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Antimicrob ChemotherHome page
M.-T. Baixench, N. Aoun, M. Desnos-Ollivier, D. Garcia-Hermoso, S. Bretagne, S. Ramires, C. Piketty, and E. Dannaoui
Acquired resistance to echinocandins in Candida albicans: case report and review
J. Antimicrob. Chemother., June 1, 2007; 59(6): 1076 - 1083.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Clin. Microbiol. Rev.Home page
M. A. Pfaller, D. J. Diekema, and D. J. Sheehan
Interpretive Breakpoints for Fluconazole and Candida Revisited: a Blueprint for the Future of Antifungal Susceptibility Testing
Clin. Microbiol. Rev., April 1, 2006; 19(2): 435 - 447.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Clin. Microbiol.Home page
M. A. Pfaller, L. Boyken, R. J. Hollis, S. A. Messer, S. Tendolkar, and D. J. Diekema
In Vitro Susceptibilities of Candida spp. to Caspofungin: Four Years of Global Surveillance.
J. Clin. Microbiol., March 1, 2006; 44(3): 760 - 763.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Antimicrob ChemotherHome page
A. H. Groll, A. Attarbaschi, F. R. Schuster, N. Herzog, L. Grigull, M. N. Dworzak, K. Beutel, H.-J. Laws, and T. Lehrnbecher
Treatment with caspofungin in immunocompromised paediatric patients: a multicentre survey
J. Antimicrob. Chemother., March 1, 2006; 57(3): 527 - 535.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Antimicrob. Agents Chemother.Home page
N. Kartsonis, J. Killar, L. Mixson, C.-M. Hoe, C. Sable, K. Bartizal, and M. Motyl
Caspofungin Susceptibility Testing of Isolates from Patients with Esophageal Candidiasis or Invasive Candidiasis: Relationship of MIC to Treatment Outcome
Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., September 1, 2005; 49(9): 3616 - 3623.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.