Treatment of neutropenic infection: trends towards monotherapy?

Febrile neutropenia has been a changing syndrome over the last 20 years. The perspectives and goals that we face today are mainly the constant adaptation of antibacterial prophylactic and therapeutic regimens to the emergence of resistant strains; the definition of prognostic factors influencing the outcome of febrile neutropenia; the introduction of pragmatic algorithms for adaptation of therapy; ambulatory and/or home therapy for certain categories of patients; the definition of indications for the use of cytokines to restore earlier bone marrow function and to help with home management of febrile neutropenia, and, finally, the recognition of risk factors for fungal infections and the improvement of our diagnostic as well as therapeutic anti-fungal strategies.