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Background Invasive fungal disease (IFD) treatment is challenging in hematologic patients due to drug interactions and toxicities that limit the use of the antifungal agents. Aims To analyze retrospectively in terms of safety and potential efficacy anidulafungin therapy, alone or in combination. Methods Our institutional guidelines recommended anidulafungin treatment in hematologic patients with suspected IFD and concomitant renal or liver impairment (to avoid drug interactions and preserve organ function). Results From 2008 to 2013, 24 episodes of IFD occurring in 21 patients were classified as proven (4 cases), probable (15 cases) and possible (5 cases). Anidulafungin was administered alone (13%) or in combination (88%). Eight (33%) episodes were resolved, using monotherapy (1 out of 3, 33%) or a combined therapy (7 out of 21, 33%). Twelve cases (50%) were registered as failure (death due to IFD progression in 4 patients, and treatment change due to lack of efficacy in 8), and 4 cases (17%) were not evaluable (death unrelated to the IFD). Anidulafungin was not withdrawn in any case due to toxicity. Conclusions Anidulafungin therapy, alone or in combination, could be considered in hematologic patients with IFD and concomitant liver or renal impairment. Due to the low number of patients, we cannot draw any conclusion about efficacy.

The incidence, epidemiology, and risk factors of bloodstream infection (BSI) and their impact on transplant outcomes after umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) are not well defined. Between May 1997 and December 2012, 202 isolates in 189 episodes of BSI were registered in 134 of 241 patients who underwent single-unit myeloablative UCBT. Cumulative incidence (CI) of developing at least 1 episode of BSI was 21%, 29%, 34%, 42%, and 52% at days +7, +14, +30, +100, and +365, respectively. The median time of onset for the first BSI episode was day +10 (range, day –7 to +1217). Early BSI before day 7 was associated with increased nonrelapse mortality (relative risk [RR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1 to 2.3; P = .04), whereas BSI before day 14 was an independent adverse risk factor for neutrophil recovery (RR, .6; 95% CI, .5 to .9; P = .002). A higher CD8+ cell dose of the graft was the only variable independently associated with reduced risk of BSI (RR, .1; 95% CI, .02 to .7; P = .02). The gram-negative rod (GNR) to gram-positive bacteria ratio was .9 before day +30 and 1.6 thereafter (P = .03). Escherichia coli (31%) and Pseudomonas sp. (28%) were the most frequently isolated among GNR. The overall crude mortality rate was 12% at day 7 and was higher for GNR (18%) compared with gram-positive bacteria (7%) (P = .03). These findings emphasize the importance of preventing bacterial infections during conditioning and the very early post-UCBT period.

Studies that analyze the epidemiology and risk factors for invasive fungal disease (IFD) after engraftment in alloSCT are few in number. This single-center retrospective study included 404 alloSCT adult recipients surviving > 40 days who engrafted and were discharged without prior IFD. All patients who received >= 20 mg/day of prednisone were assigned to primary oral prophylaxis (itraconazole or low-dose voriconazole). The primary end point was the cumulative incidence (CI) of probable/proven IFD using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Mycoses Study Group (EORTC/MSG) criteria. The independent prognostic factors after multivariate analyses were used to construct a post-engraftment IFD risk score. The 1-year CI of IFD was 11%. The non-relapse mortality was 40% in those developing IFD and 16% in those who did not. The intent-to-treat analysis showed that 17% of patients abandoned the assigned prophylaxis. Age > 40 years, >= 1 previous SCT, pre-engraftment neutropenia > 15 days, extensive chronic GVHD and CMV reactivation were independent risk factors. The post-engraftment IFD score stratified patients into low risk (0-1 factor, CI 0.7%), intermediate risk (2 factors, CI 9.9%) and high risk (3-5 factors, CI 24.7%) (P < 0001). The antifungal prophylaxis strategy failed to prevent post-engraftment IFD in 11% of alloSCT. Our risk score could be useful to implement risk-adapted strategies using antifungal prophylaxis after engraftment.