Fungal Intracranial Infections (Central Nervous System-Invasive Fungal Disease) in Patients With Haematological Disorders-A Single-Centre Retrospective Study.

Background: Invasive fungal disease (IFD) is a sinister complication encountered in patients with haematological disorders. When occurring in the central nervous system (CNS), IFDs can have catastrophic outcomes.

Objectives: To study the clinical presentation, predisposing etiological factors, and prognosis of a CNS-IFD in a patient with a haematological disorder.

Patients and methods: This is a retrospective study focusing on the clinical profile, diagnosis, treatment strategy and outcomes of 43 patients with an underlying haematological disorder, who were diagnosed with CNS-IFD between 2018 and 2022.

Results: Of the 43 patients, 18 were chemotherapy recipients, while 23 were stem cell transplant (SCT) recipients and 2 presented with CNS-IFD at diagnosis. AML/MDS (37.2%) and ALL (18.6%) were the predominant underlying diagnoses. A sudden deterioration in sensorium (53.5%) was the earliest clinical sign, while T2 hyperintensities (26.8%), vascular involvement (26.8%) and ring-enhancing lesions (16.3%) were the commonest radiological findings, with all patients exhibiting diffusion restriction in diffusion-weighted images. Microbiological evidence of infection was obtained in all patients; however, culture positivity was established in only 25 patients. Rhizopus spp (23.2%) and Aspergillus spp (20.9%) were implicated in most cases. Overall survival of the cohort was 27.9% at a median follow-up of 6 months. In patients who succumbed, the median time to death was 4 days (0-46).

Conclusion: CNS-IFD is associated with very poor survival in patients undergoing chemotherapy or an SCT, urging the need for prompt diagnosis and initiation of suitable antifungal therapy.