Antifungal prophylaxis in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract

Invasive fungal infections (IFI) remain a very important cause of morbidity and mortality after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in children. The recent study from Polish pediatric transplant centers revealed that 27.3% of children transplanted in 2012–2013 developed IFI. The highest risk was observed among patients with AML and ALL after allogeneic HSCT. Such results warrant the use of extensive antifungal prophylaxis in this cohort of patients. ECIL-4 guidelines for antifungal prophylaxis in children undergoing HSCT along with clinical practice are presented in the review. Furthermore preventive measures for patients discharged home after HSCT are discussed.