Introduction
Invasive fungal diseases (IFD) are important causes of morbidity and
mortality in immunocompromised children and adolescents with cancer.
Factors that have been linked to the development of IFD in children and
adults are the underlying malignancy (mainly acute leukemia), presence
of profound and long‐lasting neutropenia, high intensity of the
chemotherapeutic regimen, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and
previous antibiotic therapy.1 Candida species
(spp.) are commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract, and may cause
invasive infections in the immunocompromised host when mucosal barrier
is disrupted, or normal gastrointestinal flora is modified by
antimicrobial treatment.2 Filamentous fungi, including
the Zygomycetes class, Fusarium and Aspergillusspecies have also become epidemiologically relevant in this
population.3
The main objective of this study was to determine the extent of survival
of children and adolescents with cancer, treated for IFD in the last
nine years, at a referral center for the treatment of childhood cancer
in Brazil. In addition, we aimed to analyze which factors could be
determinant to shorten survival.