{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T03:12:36Z","timestamp":1792033956764,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,18]],"date-time":"2024-07-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1721260800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JoF"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Although advances in the management of pediatric neoplasms have profoundly improved infectious disease outcomes, invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children and adolescents with high-risk hematological malignancies. A retrospective study was conducted in the Pediatric Hematology\u2013Oncology Department of the University General Hospital of Heraklion for 2013\u20132022 to estimate the prevalence and describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of IFDs for pediatric and adolescent patients with neoplasia. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters were analyzed to identify risk factors for the development of IFD. The overall prevalence of IFDs was estimated to be 7.8% (12\/154 patients) throughout the study. The mean age at IFD diagnosis was 9.8 years (SD 6.4 years). The most common IFD was possible\/probable invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA; in \u224850%), followed by candidemia\/invasive candidiasis (in 44%). Candida parapsilosis was the most prevalent Candida species (4\/6 events). Of interest, the majority (75%) of IFDs were breakthrough infections. Patients with increased risk for IFDs were those who were colonized by fungi in sites other than the oral cavity, hospitalized in the intensive care unit for &gt;7 days, received &gt;7 different antimicrobials in the last 3 months, or had severe neutropenia for &gt;44 days. Two children out of a total of 12 with IFD died due to refractory disease or relapse (16.7%). More detailed and prospective epidemiological studies on fungal infections in pediatric patients with hematological or solid neoplasms can contribute to the optimization of prevention and treatment.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jof10070498","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,18]],"date-time":"2024-07-18T16:51:12Z","timestamp":1721321472000},"page":"498","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Epidemiology of Invasive Fungal Diseases: A 10-Year Experience in a Tertiary Pediatric Hematology\u2013Oncology Department in Greece"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"given":"Eleni","family":"Moraitaki","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology & Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, University Hospital of Heraklion & Laboratory of Blood Diseases and Childhood Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece"},{"name":"MSc Program \u201cHematology-Oncology of Childhood and Adolescence\u201d, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8153-9643","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ioannis","family":"Kyriakidis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology & Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, University Hospital of Heraklion & Laboratory of Blood Diseases and Childhood Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5737-3770","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iordanis","family":"Pelagiadis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology & Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, University Hospital of Heraklion & Laboratory of Blood Diseases and Childhood Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0421-7712","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nikolaos","family":"Katzilakis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology & Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, University Hospital of Heraklion & Laboratory of Blood Diseases and Childhood Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Stratigaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology & Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, University Hospital of Heraklion & Laboratory of Blood Diseases and Childhood Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Georgios","family":"Chamilos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis Department, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4294-2605","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Athanasios","family":"Tragiannidis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric & Adolescent Hematology Oncology Unit, 2nd Pediatric Department, AHEPA Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3343-5110","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eftichia","family":"Stiakaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology & Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, University Hospital of Heraklion & Laboratory of Blood Diseases and Childhood Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece"},{"name":"MSc Program \u201cHematology-Oncology of Childhood and Adolescence\u201d, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"\u00c1vila Montiel, D., Saucedo Campos, A., Avil\u00e9s Robles, M., Murillo Maldonado, M.A., Jim\u00e9nez Ju\u00e1rez, R., Silva Dirzo, M., and Dorantes Acosta, E. 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