Review of amikacin usage in the EORTC trials.

Four trials have been conducted by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer's International Antimicrobial Therapy Project Group. These studies involve the randomized assignment of febrile neutropenic patients to receive various antibiotic combinations. The past three trials have utilized amikacin in combination with a variety of beta-lactam antibiotics to provide activity against the most commonly isolated pathogenic bacteria in this clinical setting. Amikacin in combination with expanded-spectrum beta-lactam agents is likely to remain useful in treating infections in granulocytopenic patients.