Cefotaxime: single agent therapy for infections in cancer patients with adequate granulocyte counts.

Seventy-eight infectious episodes in 75 cancer patients with adequate granulocyte counts were treated with cefotaxime. Sixty-six episodes were evaluable. The overall cure rate was 77% (51/66). The response rate in 46 episodes where an organism was identified was 72% (33/46). Gram-positive and Gram-negative infections responded equally with rates of 81% and 80% respectively. Pneumonia, septicaemia and urinary tract infections occurred most frequently and had response rates of 62% (18/29), 90% (9/10) and 91% (10/11) respectively. Polymicrobial infections were associated with a poor response--40% (4/10). No serious adverse effects occurred. Cefotaxime as a single agent was effective therapy for most Gram-positive and Gram-negative infections in cancer patients with adequate granulocyte counts. Polymicrobial infections and Gram-negative pneumonias might require additional agents.