Fungemia Survey in Cancer Patients

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the incidence of fungemia in relation to the number of admissions to the hospital in patients with solid tumor or hematologic malignancy or in patients who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
• Determine the fungal species distribution, prognostic factors for outcome, and crude and attributable mortality in patients also diagnosed with fungemia.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter, nonrandomized, prospective study.

• Group A (no documented fungemia at study entry): Data regarding the number of patients with cancer or who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, including those who develop documented fungemia, who are admitted to the hospital is collected for 2 years.
• Group B (documented fungemia at study entry): Fungal strains isolated from the initial positive blood culture are collected and undergo examination, including confirmation of species identification, susceptibility testing, and/or minimum inhibitory concentration determination. Data, including antifungal treatment, clinical and microbiological response to antifungal treatment (at 2, 4, and 12 weeks after diagnosis), and survival status, is collected for each documented fungemia episode* for up to 12 weeks after diagnosis of fungemia.

NOTE: *That occurs within a 2-year period.