Safety and efficacy of a caspofungin-based combination therapy for treatment of proven or probable aspergillosis in pediatric hematological patients.
BACKGROUND
Fungal infections are diagnosed increasingly often in patients affected by hematological diseases and their mortality has remained high. The recent development of new antifungal drugs gives the clinician the possibility to assess the combination of antifungal drugs with in-vitro or in animal-model synergistic effect.


METHODS
We analyzed retrospectively the safety and efficacy of caspofungin-based combination therapy in 40 children and adolescents, most of them were being treated for a malignant disease, who developed invasive aspergillosis (IA) between November 2002 and November 2005.


RESULTS
Thirteen (32.5%) patients developed IA after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), 13 after primary diagnosis, usually during remission-induction chemotherapy, and 14 after relapse of disease. Severe neutropenia was present in 31 (78%) out of the 40 patients. IA was classified as probable in 20 (50%) and documented in 20 (50%) patients, respectively. A favorable response to antifungal therapy was obtained in 21 patients (53%) and the probability of 100-day survival was 70%. Different, though not significant, 100-day survival was observed according to the timing of diagnosis of IA: 51.9% after HSCT; 71.4% after relapse; and 84.6% after diagnosis of underlying disease, p 0.2. After a median follow-up of 0.7 years, 20 patients are alive (50%). Overall, the combination therapy was well tolerated. In multivariate analysis, the factors that were significantly associated to a better overall survival were favorable response to antifungal therapy, p 0.003, and the timing of IA in the patient course of underlying disease, p 0.04.


CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that caspofungin-based combination antifungal therapy is an effective therapeutic option also for pediatric patients with IA. These data need to be confirmed by prospective, controlled studies.
Cesaro
Simone
S
Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Padua, Italy. simone.cesaro@unipd.it
Giacchino
Mareva
M
Locatelli
Franco
F
Spiller
Monica
M
Buldini
Barbara
B
Castellini
Claudia
C
Caselli
Desireè
D
Giraldi
Eugenia
E
Tucci
Fabio
F
Tridello
Gloria
G
Rossi
Mario Renato
MR
Castagnola
Elio
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001228:Aspergillosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000077336:Caspofungin; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D054714:Echinocandins; D005260:Female; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D055666:Lipopeptides; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D054714:Echinocandins; D055666:Lipopeptides; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D000077336:Caspofungin