Gastrointestinal “sterilization” in the treatment of patients with acute leukemia

Abstract

In preliminary studies, a combination of gentamicin, vancomycin, and nystatin in conjunction with either sterile or reduced‐bacterial diets consistently resulted in bacterially “sterile” stools and an apparent reduction of infection in granulocytopenic patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy. the ease and economy of the approach recommends it to chemotherapy centers which lack elaborate isolation facilities. Studies are in progress to more precisely compare the relative effectiveness of physical isolation, air filtration, diet, and prophylactic antibiotics in reducing the infectious complication of cancer chemotherapy. Copyright © 1970 American Cancer Society