Prevention of infection in immunocompromised hosts.

The prevention of infection in patients with cancer has changed tremendously over the last decade, but remains in evolution. Despite many clinical trials examining the role of antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral prophylaxis, there is still discussion among physicians about not only which patients require prophylaxis, but also the optimal regimen. Nevertheless, many of these regimens offer the hope to prevent infection in patients with underlying neoplastic diseases. There is no therapy that is uniformly effective in all settings. This is generally due to the severity of the defects in host defenses and the virulence of the microorganism. Hopefully, the future will hold many new therapeutic options to help prevent infection in patients with cancer.