Phycomycosis (So-called Mucormycosis)

Problems in Therapy of the Field of Internal Medicine

Abstract

There are three main problems in the treatment of mucormycosis. First, it is not easy to make a diagnosis while the patient is alive. Second, therapy virtually is impossible because it is mainly found in patients with underlying diseases and it is therefore hard to notice mucormycosis in the terminal stage. And third, there are no good antifungal drugs except Amphotericin B. It should always be administered with care taking side effects into consideration.
386 cases of mucormycosis reported in Japan and foreign countries and 76 noted in the Annual of Pathological Autopsy cases in Japan plus our own cases are discussed. Particularly, 81 of those patients showing “good response” showed that the treatment of mucormycosis is not always hopeless if diagnosed in the early stage; treated by Amphotericin B concurrently with the therapy for the underlying disease; and if local and surgical therapy can be performed as long as there are no such lethal underlying diseases as leukemia and malignant carcinoma. But, it is actually difficult to treat most mucormycosis and the problems mentioned above will still remain in the future.