Patient Protection in Cancer Chemotherapy

Eight patients undergoing intensive cancer chemotherapy have been treated in a protection unit. The antibiotic protocol in this program was designed to prevent the appearance of resistant organisms. The preliminary results indicate that it is quite feasible and practical to maintain an individual in a relatively germ-free environment for long periods of time. In this small group of patients there was no evidence of infection with the more common pathogens, despite severe bone marrow depression and leukopenia induced by antitumor agents.