Risk Factors for Invasive Fungal Disease in Pediatric Oncology

Abstract

Background: Invasive fungal infections are a major cause of death in pediatric oncology, especially among patients under chemotherapy. This study aims to identify risk factors for invasive fungal infections in pediatric oncology.

Methods: We conducted a monocentric retrospective case-control multi-cohort study on a population of 30 patients with malignant hemopathies or solid cancers under chemotherapy, admitted in the Pediatric Oncology unit of Nafissa Hammoud Hospital in Algiers, amongst which 24 patients were controls, and 6 patients were cases.

Results: In a total of 30 patients (53.3 % male), 13 patients developed a fever, from which 6 patients were identified as invasive fungal infection cases according to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group and Infectious Diseases Mycoses Study Group (EORTC/MSG) guidelines, with an incidence of 20 %. The mean age was 7.47 years old at the admission date. Four statistically significant risk factors were identified (p-value < 0.05, CI 95 %): mucositis with an odds ratio (OR) at 10 (1,34 – 74,51), the most aggressive chemotherapy protocol according to the ITR2 with an OR at 115 (6,10 – 2165,95), severe prolonged neutropenia with an OR at 7,6 (1,07 – 54,09) and severe prolonged lymphopenia with an OR at 25 (2,27 – 275,71).

Conclusion: Many conditions were identified as risk factors for invasive fungal infections in pediatric oncology, especially severe lymphopenia and aggressive chemotherapy. These patients may have to receive close monitoring or even antifungal prophylaxis.