Caspofungin: an advanced treatment approach for suspected or confirmed invasive aspergillosis

Invasive aspergillosis occurs in a wide range of immunocompromised patients and is typically associated with an extremely poor prognosis. Caspofungin represents an additional therapeutic alternative to standard antifungal therapies in patients with suspected or confirmed invasive aspergillosis, as evidenced by a growing body of experience confirming its utility in treating this patient Population. Caspofungin has demonstrated clinical efficacy when administered as salvage therapy in patients refractory to or intolerant of standard antifungal therapies, as first-line empirical therapy in patients with persistent febrile neutropenia and as combination therapy in difficult-to-treat patients refractory to or intolerant of standard therapies. Further studies are warranted to establish the effectiveness of caspofungin either alone or in combination as primary therapy for invasive aspergillosis. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.