Table 2 Comparing patients under diagnostic-driven therapy with voriconazole and those under empiric antifungal therapy with voriconazole Characteristics
Characteristics and outcomes | Diagnostic-driven therapy with voriconazole | Empiric antifungal therapy with voriconazole | p - value |
|---|---|---|---|
(n = 44) | (n = 77) | ||
N (%) | N (%) | ||
Age (years), median (range) | 63 (23–81) | 58 (22–86) | 0.10 |
Gender, male | 26 (59) | 46 (60) | 0.94 |
Diagnosis of IA | Â | Â | 0.06 |
 Definite IA | 4/43 (9) | 18 (23) |  |
 Probable IA | 39/43 (91) | 59 (77) |  |
Invasive pulmonary infection a | 40 (91) | 68 (88) | 0.77 |
Disseminated infectiona | 2 (5) | 6 (8) | 0.71 |
Localized or sinus infectiona | 4 (9) | 3 (4) | 0.25 |
Leukemia | 19 (43) | 55 (71) | 0.002 |
Lymphoma | 16 (36) | 16 (21) | 0.06 |
Myeloma | 8 (18) | 4 (5) | 0.029 |
Transplantation within 1 year prior to infection | 16 (36) | 34 (44) | 0.40 |
Type of transplantation within prior year | Â | Â | 0.14 |
 Allogeneic transplant | 10/16 (63) | 29/34 (85) |  |
 Autologous transplant | 6/16 (38) | 5/34 (15) |  |
Graft vs Host Disease (GVHD) | 8/10 (80) | 22/29 (76) | > .99 |
Neutropenia (< 500 ANC) at onset of IA | 8/42 (19) | 29/73 (40) | 0.022 |
Persistent neutropenia | 14/36 (39) | 21/64 (33) | 0.54 |
Received immunotherapy | 10/43 (23) | 37/76 (49) | 0.006 |
Received WBC transfusion | 2/42 (5) | 8 (10) | 0.49 |
Year of IA diagnosis/treatment | Â | Â | 0.73 |
 1993–2004 | 8 (18) | 16 (21) |  |
 2005–2016 | 36 (82) | 61 (79) |  |
Prophylactic antifungal treatment prior to | 7 (16) | 27/76 (36) | 0.022 |
infection | Â | Â | Â |
Breakthrough | 6/7 (86) | 25/26 (96) | 0.38 |
Response to therapy | 32 (73) | 39 (51) | 0.018 |
Death within 42 days of starting therapy | 2 (5) | 7/76 (9) | 0.48 |
Aspergillosis-attributable death within 42 days of starting therapy | 2 (5) | 6/76 (8) | 0.71 |