title: Fungal infections in oncology patients: update on epidemiology, prevention, and treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fungal infections that occur after hematopoietic stem cell transplant and therapies for hematologic malignancies contribute to poor outcomes. In the recent year, studies have focused on updating epidemiologic data, providing an understanding of immunogenetic risks for infection, and optimizing prevention and treatment strategies; these studies will be reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Contributions to our understanding of epidemiology have come from multicenter studies. Results demonstrate variability in the numbers of diagnosed invasive aspergillosis cases in oncology centers, and a persistent, although relatively low rate of invasive candidiasis. Both multiple and single-center studies are demonstrating improved outcomes of treating invasive aspergillosis. Several important studies have outlined the importance of immunogenetics in conferring risks for invasive fungal infections. There have been numerous studies recently published that assist with our understanding of preventive strategies, questioning the utility of pretherapy screening computed tomography scans and masks. Several important randomized trials compared alternative strategies to standard 'empirical' therapies. Finally, several studies were performed that outline complexity in administering new azole antifungals, assisting in optimizing outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Studies published in the most recent year outline several important advances in our understanding of epidemiology, prevention and treatment of invasive fungal infections.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine and Oncology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. kmarr4@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Kieren A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Marr
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009181:Mycoses / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents