Secondary antifungal prophylaxis in hematological malignancy patients with previous invasive fungal disease

Abstract

Invasive fungal disease (IFD) causes a high morbidity and mortality in patients with hematological malignancies. Reactivation of IFD after chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is very common and associated with poor prognosis. Secondary antifungal prophylaxis (SAP) is effective in preventing IFD recurrence. With effective SAP, a history of IFD is not an absolute contraindication to allogeneic HSCT or continuation of high-dose chemotherapy. In recent years, a variety of antifungal drugs such as voriconazole, itraconazole, AmB and caspofungin have been found to be effective for SAP. However, its management during granulocytopenia and immunosuppression remains challenging. This review summarizes the current status of SAP in patients with hematological malignancies.