Blood Reviews
Volume 24, Issue 2 , Pages 51-61, March 2010

Current therapeutic approaches to fungal infections in immunocompromised hematological patients

  • Livio Pagano

      Affiliations

    • Istituto di Ematologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Address: Istituto di Ematologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito, 1, I-00168 Rome, Italy. Tel.: +39 0630154180; fax: +39 063051343.
    • ,
  • Morena Caira

      Affiliations

    • Istituto di Ematologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
    • ,
  • Caterina Giovanna Valentini

      Affiliations

    • Istituto di Ematologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
    • ,
  • Brunella Posteraro

      Affiliations

    • Istituto di Microbiologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
    • ,
  • Luana Fianchi

      Affiliations

    • Istituto di Ematologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy

published online 07 January 2010.

Summary 

Invasive fungal infections are significant causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with hematological malignancies. Patients with acute myeloid leukemia and those who have undergone allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are at especially high risk. Various fungal agents are responsible for this complication, but Aspergillus spp. and Candida spp. are the most frequently isolated micro-organisms; less commonly, infections could be caused by Zygomycetes or other rare molds or yeasts.

Several new systemically-administered antifungal agents have been approved for clinical use since 2001; these agents include liposomal amphotericin B, voriconazole, caspofungin, and posaconazole, and they represent a major advance in antifungal therapy and have improved the prognosis of patients with hematological malignancies.

This review focuses on therapeutic aspects of the management of fungal infections in hematological patients.

Keywords: Moulds, Yeasts, Leukemia, Hemopoietic stem cell transplantation

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PII: S0268-960X(09)00068-X

doi:10.1016/j.blre.2009.11.003

Blood Reviews
Volume 24, Issue 2 , Pages 51-61, March 2010

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