Induction-related mortality in adolescents and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a resource-limited setting: do treatment-related complications create more impact than disease biology?

Background@#Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a malignant clonal bone marrow disorder with a high mortality rate during the initial therapy. This retrospective study aimed to describe and analyze the risk factors and causes of induction-related mortality (IRM) in an adolescent and adult ALL population treated in a low- and middle-income country. @*Methods@#From 2009 to 2016, a total of 167 patients were included, of which 50.9% were male with a median age of 28 years. B-immunophenotype represented 97.6%, and high-risk cytogenetics were present in 23.3%. During induction therapy, 91% had at least 1 complication, most of which were infectious, with an IRM of 12%. @*Results@#Factors associated with increased mortality rate were central nervous system (CNS) status [CNS-3: hazard ratio (HR) 3.029; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.79‒11.49; P =0.103 and CNS-2: HR, 9.98; 95% CI, 2.65‒37.65; P =0.001] and dialysis requirement (HR, 9.15; 95% CI, 2.44‒34.34; P =0.001). @*Conclusion@#Our study confirms that ALL patients treated in resource-constrained settings have high rates of IRM, mainly attributed to advanced disease and high tumor burden at diagnosis.

Determining the risk factors associated with the development of Clostridium difficile infection in patients with hematological diseases

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a nosocomial condition prevalent in patients with hematological disorders. We aimed to identify the risk factors associated with the development of CDI and assess the mortality rate at 15 and 30 days among hematologic patients admitted to a tertiary care center. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective case-control study from January 2010 to December 2015. Forty-two patients with hematologic malignancy and CDI, and 84 with hematologic disease and without history of CDI were included in the case and control groups, respectively. RESULTS: Univariate analysis revealed that episodes of febrile eutropenia [odds ratio (OR), 5.5; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.3–12.9; P1 hospitalization (OR, 5.6; 95% CI, 2.5–12.6; P1 hospitalization (OR, 4.3; 95% CI, 1.7–11.0; P=0.002) were independent risk factors. Three (7.1%) and 6 (14.2%) case patients died at 15 and 30 days, respectively. CONCLUSION: The risk factors for developing CDI were exposure to therapeutic antibiotics and previous hospitalization. Hematological patients who developed CDI had higher early mortality rates, suggesting that new approaches for prevention and treatment are needed.