New Insights Into Infections' Risk of Adolescents and Young Adults Treated for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

This study aims to compare the infections' risk between adolescents and young adults (AYAs), treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and pediatric population. We also focused on their bacterial and fungal infection specificities.

This case-control study investigated the occurrence of bacterial bloodstream infection (BSI) and proven and probable invasive fungal infection (IFI) in AYAs (15-25 years old) and children (1-14 years old) treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia between January 2013 and December 2020 in 2 French tertiary pediatric and 2 referral adult hematological centers, independent of their treatment protocol. We also evaluated the impact of these infections on morbidity (necessity of intensive care) and mortality.

We analyzed 83 AYAs and 230 children and found that AYAs developed significantly more IFI than the pediatric population (22% vs. 10%, P = 0.007), regardless of their care center (adult or pediatric). Furthermore, the occurrence of BSI was similar between the 2 populations (48% vs. 51%, P = 0.66). Moreover, the occurrence of infection increased with the AYAs' risk group of treatment: standard, medium or high risk ( P = 0.021 for BSI and P = 0.029 for IFI). Finally, the mortality rate is only 1.3% after a BSI whereas it increases to 4.9% after IFI.

AYAs have their own specificity with an increased risk of fungal infection compared to children, independent of the care center. Antifungal prophylaxis should be contemplated, especially for patients classified in high-risk groups.