Incidence and risk factors of probable and proven invasive fungal infection in adult patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Background To investigate the incidence and risk factors for the occurrence of proven or probable invasive fungal infection (IFI) in adult patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Methods We retrospectively analyzed 421 patients undergoing HSCT between 2002 and 2013 in our hospital. The risk factors for the occurrence of IFI were analyzed using Cox regression models. Results Thirty-one patients with the median age of 42 years (range, 19–60 years) developed IFI after HSCT. The post-HSCT IFI incidence was 7.4% and median time from HSCT to the diagnosis of IFI was 139 days (range, 2–1809 days). Of the pretransplant factors, European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) risk score > 2 (p = 0.001) and prior history of IFI (p = 0.006) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM; p = 0.042) were the significant predictors for post-HSCT IFI in univariate analyses. In multivariate analysis, EBMT risk score > 2 (p = 0.015) and prior history of IFI (p = 0.006) retained significance. Of the post-transplant factors, acute graft-versus-disease (GVHD) overall Grade III–IV (p < 0.001), extensive chronic GVHD (p = 0.002), development of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (p = 0.005), and the use of high-dose steroids (p < 0.001) were statistically significant in univariate analyses. After multivariate analysis, high-dose steroids (p < 0.001) and acute GVHD overall Grade III–IV (p = 0.045) retained significance. Conclusion These results suggest that risk group stratification prior to HSCT and monitoring of IFI in patients with severe GVHD receiving high-dose steroids is mandatory to reduce the mortality and morbidity of post-HSCT IFI, especially in those with prior history of IFI.