Neutropenia and antibiotics: when, what, how and why?

Purpose of review Our aim is to review recent literature on antibiotic use in patients with neutropenia. Recent findings Prophylactic antibiotics are associated with risks and have limited mortality benefit. While early antibiotic use in febrile neutropenia (FN) is critical, early de-escalation or discontinuation may be safe in many patients. Summary With an increasing understanding of potential risks and benefits of use and improved risk assessment, paradigms of antibiotic use in neutropenic patients are changing.