Haematologica
-
Forty-one of 792 acute leukemia patients suffered fatal intracranial hemorrhage (FICH). Acute promyelocytic leukemia was the most common subtype. Achievement of complete remission in AML was significantly influenced by FICH. FICH accounts for about half of deaths from hemorrhage and this proportion has not changed despite improvements in leukemia management.
-
To evaluate the clinical characteristics of patients affected by hematologic malignancies who developed mucormycosis and to ascertain the factors which influenced the outcome following mycotic infection. ⋯ Mucormycosis is a rare filamentous fungal infection that occurs most frequently in neutropenic patients with acute leukemia. It does not seem to have increased in recent years. Although a reduction of mortality has been observed recently, the mortality rate still remains high. Extensive and aggressive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are essential in order to improve the prognosis in these patients.
-
The incidence of invasive filamentous fungal infections in hematologic patients is increasing as a consequence of high dose chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant procedures. Mortality is usually very high. The diagnosis is often difficult and yet a fast, accurate diagnosis is of fundamental importance for treating the infection and planning subsequent management of the hematologic disease. We evaluated the sensitivity of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous biopsy in diagnosing pulmonary fungal infections. ⋯ Histologic discrimination between aspergillosis and mucormycosis is very important for deciding secondary prophylaxis during transplant procedures, because Mucor is usually resistant to azoles.