Publication details
Invasive aspergillosis in patients with hematological malignancies in the Czech and Slovak republics: Fungal InfectioN Database (FIND) analysis, 2005-2009
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | International Journal of Infectious Diseases |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2012.09.004 |
| Field | Oncology and hematology |
| Keywords | invasive aspergillosis; hematological malignancy; diagnosis; antifungal treatment |
| Attached files | |
| Description | We identified 176 invasive aspergillosis (IA) cases that mainly occurred in patients with acute leukemias (58.5%), mostly those on induction/re-induction treatments (39.8%). Prolonged neutropenia was the most frequent risk factor for IA (61.4%). The lungs were the most frequently affected site (93.8%) and computed tomography detected abnormalities in all episodes; however, only 53.7% of patients had findings suggestive of IA. Galactomannan (GM) detection in serum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (positive in 79.1% and 78.8% of episodes, respectively) played a crucial role in IA diagnosis. Neutrophil count and antifungal prophylaxis did not influence the GM positivity rate, but empirical therapy decreased this rate (in serum). Of the IA cases, 53.2% responded to initial antifungal therapy. The combination of voriconazole and echinocandin, even as initial or salvage therapy, did not perform better than voriconazole monotherapy (p=0.924 for initial therapy and p=0.205 for salvage therapy). Neutrophil recovery had a significant role in the response to initial (but not salvage) antifungal therapy. Our retrospective analysis identified key diagnostic and treatment characteristics, and this understanding could improve the management of hematological malignancy patients with IA. |