Abstract:

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of Caspofungin for the treatment of invasive fungal infections after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Methods Thirtynine cases of invasive fungal infections after allo-HSCT were selected, stratified diagnosis was made according to the standard of European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), and treatment with intravenous Caspofungin was performed. The initial dosage and maintenance dosage were 70 mg/d and 50 mg/d respectively, with time of infusion more than 1 h and course of treatment ranging from 14 d to 42 d. Imaging and microbiological examinations were carried out weekly before treatment and in the course of treatment. Side effects were assessed after treatment. Results The overall favorable response to Caspofungin was 76.9% (30/39). The response rates of confirmed cases, clinically diagnosed cases and suspected cases were 100% (3/3), 73.7% (14/19) and 76.5% (13/17) respectively. There was no significant difference in the response rates between clinically diagnosed cases and suspected cases (P>0.05). Three cases had mild liver function abnormalities, and hypokalemia occurred in 4 cases. Conclusion Caspofungin is an effective agent with minimal adverse effects for treatment of invasive fungal infections after allo-HSCT.

Key words: Caspofungin, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, invasive fungal infections