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Background & Aims: Data on acute exacerbation and reactivation of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection following chemotherapy are very limited. We sought to characterize the episodes of acute exacerbation and viral reactivation of HCV infection in cancer patients. Methods: The medical records of HCV-infected patients seen at our institution (2008–2009) were analyzed retrospectively. Acute exacerbation was defined as greater than 3-fold increase in serum level of alanine aminotransferase, and viral reactivation as ⩾1log10 IU/ml increase of HCV viral load following chemotherapy. Results: Acute exacerbation occurred in 33 (11%) of 308 patients with proven HCV infection. Patients with acute exacerbation more often had underlying hematological malignancies (73% vs. 29%; p <0.001) and lymphopenia (6% vs. 0%; p = 0.01) than patients without it. In multivariate analysis, underlying hematological malignancies (p= 0.02; odds ratio, 3.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.2–8.7) and use of rituximab (p = 0.004; odds ratio, 4.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.6–10.9) were associated with acute exacerbation. Patients with acute exacerbation received higher median cumulative dose of rituximab than those without exacerbation. Discontinuation of chemotherapy due to liver dysfunction was more common in patients with acute exacerbation than in patients without it (45% vs. 11%; p <0.001). Eight (36%) of 22 patients with known pre- and post-chemotherapy viral load had viral reactivation. Conclusions: Acute exacerbation and reactivation of chronic HCV infection occur often after chemotherapy. Liver dysfunction can lead to discontinuation of potentially life-saving chemotherapy in nearly one-half of the patients with exacerbation of HCV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Rare opportunistic (non-Candida, non-Cryptococcus) yeast bloodstream infections (ROYBSIs) are rare, even in cancer patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all episodes of ROYBSIs occurring from 1998 to 2010 in our cancer center. Results: Of 2984 blood cultures positive for Candida and non-Candida yeasts, 94 (3.1%) were positive for non-Candida yeasts, representing 41 ROYBSIs (incidence, 2.1 cases/100,000 patient-days). Catheter-associated fungemia occurred in 21 (51%) patients. Breakthrough ROYBSIs occurred in 20 (49%) patients. The yeast species distribution was Rhodotorula in 21 (51%) patients, Trichosporon in 8 (20%) patients, Saccharomyces cerevisiae in 8 (20%) patients, Geotrichum in 2 (5%) patients, Pichia anomala, and Malassezia furfur in 1 patient each. All tested Trichosporon, Geotrichum, and Pichia isolates were azole-susceptible, whereas the Rhodotorula isolates were mostly azole-resistant. We noted echinocandin nonsusceptibility (minimal inhibitory concentration ≥ 2 mg/L) in all but the S. cerevisiae isolates. Most of the isolates (28/33 [85%]) were susceptible to amphotericin B. The mortality rate in all patients at 30 days after ROYBSIs diagnosis was 34%. Multivariate survival analysis revealed increased risk of death in patients with S. cerevisiae infections (hazard ratio, 3.7), Geotrichum infections (hazard ratio, 111.3), or disseminated infections (hazard ratio, 33.4) and reduced risk in patients who had catheter removal (hazard ratio, 0.1). Conclusions: ROYBSIs are uncommon in patients with cancer, and catheters are common sources of them. Half of the ROYBSIs occurred as breakthrough infections, and in vitro species-specific resistance to echinocandins and azoles was common. Disseminated infections resulted in the high mortality rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Pulmonary mucormycosis (PMM) is an emerging, frequently lethal fungal infection in immunosuppressed cancer patients. We sought to characterize the histopathologic features of PMM in this population.Methods: We identified patients with PMM who underwent autopsy or lung biopsy between 1990 and 2007. Histopathology slides were blindly reviewed by a pathologist and findings were scored on standardized forms. Pathologic findings were correlated with demographic and clinical data abstracted from patient's medical records.Results: Twenty patients with PMM were included in this study. Nineteen patients (95%) had hematologic malignancies. High frequencies of angioinvasion (100%), hemorrhagic infarction (90%), coagulative necrosis (85%), and intra-alveolar hemorrhage (85%) were observed, whereas inflammatory infiltrates were uncommon (30%). Neutropenic patients had more extensive angioinvasion compared with non-neutropenic patients (77% versus 29%, P=0.06). Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients, all of whom had graft-versus-host disease, had more inflammatory cell infiltration but less intra-alveolar hemorrhage than non-HSCT patients (67% versus 14%, P=0.04; 50% versus 100%, P=0.02, respectively).Conclusions: PMM in immunocompromised cancer patients is characterized by extensive angioinvasion and coagulative necrosis. The different histopathologic features of PMM in neutropenic, non-neutropnic, and HSCT patients may reflect differences in the pathobiology of PMM in these populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although gastrointestinal cytomegalovirus disease (GI-CMVd) is not common in cancer patients, it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Herein, we review our 2-decade experience with GI-CMVd in such patient population at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Forty-seven patients were identified. Thirty-four patients (72%) had an underlying haematological malignancy, and 18 patients (38%) developed GI-CMVd following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Nine (25%) of the 36 cancer patients with data available had AIDS. Upper-GI tract involvement was more common in patients with haematological malignancies than in those with solid tumours (P =0.02). Patients with AIDS were more likely to have colonic involvement than were those without AIDS (67% vs. 15%, P =0.006), and patients without AIDS were more likely to have gastric involvement (59% vs. 11%, P =0.01). The CMV-attributable mortality rate was 42%. Independent predictors of death by multivariate analysis included disseminated CMV and AIDS (P <0.01). The presentation of GI-CMVd varies according to the type of cancer, and AIDS. GI-CMVd is associated with a high mortality among cancer patients, particularly those with disseminated CMV disease or AIDS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: We retrospectively collected information about 29 cancer patients who underwent measurement of their plasma concentration (PC) of voriconazole (VRC) (2002–2006). Nine patients (31%) had VRC PC <1μg/ml. VRC PC <1μg/ml occurred in 7 of 10 patients who were on VRC >2 months versus only 2 of 19 patients who were on VRC <2 months (P =0.001). VRC PCs were infrequently ordered, did not follow clear indications, and the use of the results was variable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Among cancer patients with Candida glabrata (the Candida species with the slowest in-vitro growth) fungemia, time-to-positive blood culture reporting (TTR) was shorter in catheter-associated candidemia (mean±standard deviation: 67±35 h) than in candidemia from other sources (79±31, P <.01). TTR<48 h was 92% specific for catheter-associated C. glabrata fungemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]