title: Efficacy and safety of caspofungin therapy in children with invasive fungal infections.
abstract: Twenty children with proven (n = 12) or probable (n = 8) invasive fungal infections received caspofungin treatment either as first-line (n = 7) or as salvage (n = 13) therapy and as monotherapy (n = 5) or in combination (n = 15). Eleven had aspergillosis, 7 had candidiasis, and 2 had Rhodotorula infections. Caspofungin was well tolerated. Nine patients experienced 11 drug-related adverse events, none were severe, and none led to drug discontinuation. Caspofungin as a first-line treatment was successful in 5 of the 7 children (these 5 patients survived the infectious episode, with a follow-up of 147 days), and salvage therapy rescued 8 of 13 children, but only 5 of them survived.
authors.affiliation: CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Service de Pédiatrie B et Unité Bioclinique de Thérapie Cellulaire, Hôtel-Dieu, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Merlin
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Galambrun
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ribaud
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Blanc
authors.forename: Gérard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Auvrignon
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Stéphan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002175:Candida / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000077336:Caspofungin; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D054714:Echinocandins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D055666:Lipopeptides; D008297:Male; D009181:Mycoses / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012248:Rhodotorula / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016879:Salvage Therapy
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D054714:Echinocandins; D055666:Lipopeptides; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D000077336:Caspofungin