Conditions: Herpes Simplex
Keywords: chemotherapeutic agent toxicity renal toxicity infection neutropenia
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 112
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
RATIONALE: Acyclovir may be effective in preventing herpes simplex virus infection in patients with neutropenia.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying the side effects of acyclovir and is comparing two doses of acyclovir in preventing herpes simplex virus infection in patients with neutropenia.

Detailed description:
OBJECTIVES:

* To determine the difference in nephrotoxicity between low-dose and weight-based intravenous acyclovir sodium as herpes simplex virus infection prophylaxis in patients with neutropenia.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

* Arm I: Patients receive weight-based IV acyclovir sodium every 8 or 12 hours.
* Arm II: Patients receive low-dose IV acyclovir sodium every 8 or 12 hours. Treatment continues for approximately 2 weeks unless clinical herpes simplex virus infection is confirmed or the patient is no longer neutropenic.

Arms:
arm 1: Patients receive weight-based IV acyclovir sodium every 8 or 12 hours. arm 2: Patients receive low-dose IV acyclovir sodium every 8 or 12 hours.

Interventions: intervention 1: acyclovir sodium
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Given IV

Protocol document: