Early-onset invasive aspergillosis and other fungal infections in patients treated with ibrutinib.

Ibrutinib has revolutionized the management of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and is now being increasingly used. Although considered to be less immunosuppressive than conventional immunochemotherapy, the observation of a few cases of invasive fungal infections in patients treated with ibrutinib prompted us to conduct a retrospective survey. We identified 33 cases of invasive fungal infections in patients receiving ibrutinib alone or in combination. Invasive aspergillosis (IA) was overrepresented (27/33) and was associated with cerebral localizations in 40% of the cases. Remarkably, most cases of invasive fungal infections occurred with a median of 3 months after starting ibrutinib. In 18/33 cases, other conditions that could have contributed to decreased antifungal responses, such as corticosteroids, neutropenia, or combined immunochemotherapy, were present. These observations indicate that ibrutinib may be associated with early-onset invasive fungal infections, in particular IA with frequent cerebral involvement, and that patients on ibrutinib should be closely monitored in particular when other risk factors of fungal infections are present.

Commercial anti-CD19 CAR T cell therapy for patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive B cell lymphoma in a European center.

Two autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) T cells (axicabtagene ciloleucel [axi-cel] and tisagenlecleucel [tisa-cel]) are commercially approved in Europe for relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We performed a retrospective study to evaluate patterns of use, efficacy and safety for axi-cel and tisa-cel. Data from 70 patients who underwent apheresis for commercial CAR T cells between January 2018 and November 2019 in our institution were retrospectively collected. Sixty-one patients were infused. The median age at infusion was 59 years old (range 27-75 years). The median number of prior therapies was 3 (range, 2-6). The overall response rates (ORRs) at 1 month and 3 months were 63% and 45%, respectively, with 48% and 39% achieving a complete response (CR), respectively. After a median follow-up after infusion of 5.7 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3.0 months (95% CI, 2.8-8.8 months), and the median overall survival (OS) was 11.8 months (95% CI, 6.0-12.6 months). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with poor PFS were the number of previous lines of treatment before CAR T cells (≥4) (P = .010) and a C reactive protein (CRP) value >30 mg/L at the time of lymphodepletion (P < .001). Likewise, the only factor associated with a shorter OS was CRP >30 mg/L (P = .009). Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) of any grade occurred in 85% of patients, including 8% of patients with CRS of grade 3 or higher. Immune cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) of any grade occurred in 28% of patients, including 10% of patients with ICANS of grade 3 or higher. Regarding efficacy and safety, no significant difference was found between axi-cel and tisa-cel. This analysis describes one of the largest real-life cohorts of patients treated with axi-cel and tisa-cel for R/R aggressive B cell lymphoma in Europe.

Refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after first-line immuno-CT: Treatment options and outcomes.

In the rituximab era, one-third of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients experience relapse/refractory disease after first-line anthracycline-based immunochemotherapy. Optimal management remains an unmet medical need. The aim of this study was to report the outcomes of a cohort of refractory patients according to their patterns of refractoriness and the type of salvage option. We performed a retrospective analysis, which included 104 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients treated at Lyon Sud University Hospital (2002-2017) who presented with refractory disease. Refractoriness was defined as progressive/stable disease during first-line treatment (primary refractory, N = 47), a partial response after the end of first-line treatment that required subsequent treatment (residual disease, N = 19), or relapse within 1 year of diagnosis after an initial complete response (CR) (early relapse, N = 38). The 2-year overall survival (OS) rates for primary refractory, early relapse, and residual disease patients were 27%, 25%, and 52%, respectively, while the event-free survival rates for those groups were 13%, 13%, and 42%, respectively. In a univariate analysis, lactate dehydrogenase level, Ann Arbor stage, poor performance status, high age-adjusted International Prognostic Index score, and age > 65 years were associated with shorter OS. The use of rituximab and platinum-based chemo during the first salvage treatment was associated with prolonged OS. In a multivariate analysis, age (HR:2.06) and rituximab use (HR:0.54) were associated with OS. Among patients <65 years who achieved a CR, autologous stem-cell transplant was associated with higher 2-year OS (90% vs 74%, P = 0.10). Patients who were treated with a targeted therapy in the context of a clinical trial after second-line treatment had a higher 2-year OS (34% vs 19%, P = 0.06). In conclusion, patients with primary refractory disease or early relapse have very poor outcomes but may benefit from rituximab retreatment during the first salvage treatment.

Evolution of procalcitonin, C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels in neutropenic leukaemia patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis or mucormycosis.

Unlike bacterial infections, the value of procalcitonin (PCT) in detecting fungal infections in leukaemia patients is not clear. To determine whether the monitoring of PCT coupled with C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen (Fib) could be helpful in the management of pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) or mucormycosis (PM), we retrospectively analysed the evolution of PCT, CRP and Fib levels in 94 leukaemia patients with proven/probable IPA (n = 77) or PM (n = 17) from D-12 to D12 relative to IFI onset defined as D0. Overall, 2140 assays were performed. From D-12 to D0, 12%, 5% and 1.4% of patients had PCT >0.5, 1 and 1.5 µg l(-1) , respectively, while CRP was >50, 75 and 100 mg l(-1) in 84%, 70% and 57% and Fib was >4, 5 and 6 g l(-1) in 96%, 80% and 61% of cases respectively (P < 10(-7) ). The same trends were observed from D1 to D12. Overall, between D-12 and D12, only 6.4% of patients had PCT >1.5 µg l(-1) , while CRP >100 mg l(-1) and Fib >6 g l(-1) were observed in 80% and 75% of cases respectively (P < 10(-7) ). In leukaemia patients, IPA or PM was accompanied by a significant increase in CRP and Fib while PCT remained low.

Molecular characterization and follow-up of five CML patients with new BCR-ABL1 fusion transcripts.

We report five chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients in whom we identified and characterized undescribed BCR-ABL1 fusion transcripts. We investigated the precise features of the molecular rearrangements and the minimal residual disease follow-up for these five patients. Three resulted from new rearrangements between the BCR and ABL1 sequences (the breakpoints being located within BCR exon 13 in two cases and within BCR exon 18 in one case). The other two cases revealed a complex e8-[ins]-a2 fusion transcript involving a third partner gene, PRDM12 and SPECC1L, respectively. Moreover, single nucleotide polymorphism-array analysis performed in the latter two cases showed copy number alterations shared by the two patients, thus identifying genes that were deleted during rearrangement and suggesting their potential role in CML pathogenesis. Interestingly, we highlight that the prognosis of alterations, such as the presence of an e8a2 transcript or the deletion of various genes, which have been controversial, may be definitively erased by the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

Baseline metabolic tumour volume is an independent prognostic factor in Hodgkin lymphoma.

PURPOSE: The presence of a bulky tumour at staging in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a predictor of a poor outcome. The total metabolic tumour volume at baseline (TMTV0) computed on PET may improve the evaluation of tumour burden. To explore the clinical usefulness of TMTV0, we compared the prognostic value of TMTV0, tumour bulk and interim PET response in a retrospective single-centre study. METHODS: From 2007 to 2010, 59 consecutive patients with a first diagnosis of HL were treated in our institution. PET was done at baseline (PET0) and after two cycles of chemotherapy (PET2), and treatment was not modified according to the PET2 result. TMTV0 was measured with a semiautomatic method using a 41 % SUVmax threshold. SUVmax reduction between PET0 and PET2 (ΔSUVmaxPET0-2) was also computed. Based on ROC analysis, patients with a ΔSUVmaxPET0-2 >71 % were considered good responders and a TMTV0 >225 ml was considered to represent hypermetabolic bulky disease. RESULTS: Median TMTV0 was 117 ml and 17 patients (29 %) had a TMTV0 >225 ml. TMTV0 (>225 ml vs. ≤225 ml) and tumour bulk (<10 cm vs. ≥10 cm) were predictive of 4-year PFS: 42 % vs. 85 % (p = 0.001) and 44 % vs. 79 % (p < 0.03), respectively. In multivariate analysis, using ΔSUVmaxPET0-2, TMTV0 and bulky tumour as covariates, only ΔSUVmaxPET0-2 (p = 0.0005, RR 6.3) and TMTV0 (p < 0.006, RR 4.4) remained independent predictors of PFS. Three prognosis groups were thus identified: ΔSUVmaxPET0-2 >71 % and TMTV0 ≤225 ml (n = 37, 63 %), ΔSUVmaxPET0-2 = <71 % or TMTV0 >225 ml (n = 17, 29 %), and ΔSUVmaxPET0-2 = <71 % and TMTV0 >225 ml (n = 5, 8 %). In these three groups the 4-year PFS rates were 92 %, 49 %, and 20 % (p < 0.0001), respectively. CONCLUSION: TMTV0 is more relevant than tumour bulk for predicting the outcome in patients with HL, and adds a significant prognostic insight to interim PET response assessment. The combination of TMTV0 and ΔSUVmaxPET0-2 made it possible to identify three subsets of HL patients with different outcomes. This may guide clinicians in their choice of therapeutic strategy.

Overall survival of patients with CLL treated with ibrutinib in the first line compared to second-line ibrutinib after chemotherapy/chemoimmunotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the overall survival (OS) of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) receiving either ibrutinib monotherapy as a first-line (1L) treatment or chemotherapy/chemoimmunotherapy-based (CT/CIT) regimens in 1L followed by ibrutinib in the second line (1L CT/CIT-2L ibrutinib) after disease progression by emulating a randomized trial comparing both treatment sequences. METHODS: Patient-level data from the RESONATE-2 trial (NCT01722487) and real-world PHEDRA databases were analyzed. Three scenarios were considered using the following data sources: (1) RESONATE-2, (2) combined RESONATE-2/PHEDRA, (3) combined RESONATE-2/PHEDRA for 1L ibrutinib and PHEDRA for 1L CT/CIT-2L ibrutinib. Propensity score-based weights and inverse probability of censoring weighting were used to adjust for baseline (Scenarios 2 and 3) and time-dependent confounding (all scenarios), and to address potential biases. A weighted Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the OS hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for 1L ibrutinib versus 1L CT/CIT-2L ibrutinib. RESULTS: Results from Scenario 1 showed a significantly lower risk of death with 1L ibrutinib compared with 1L chlorambucil followed by 2L ibrutinib (HR 0.35 [95% CI 0.20-0.62]). Results from Scenarios 2 and 3 demonstrated a reduced risk of death with 1L ibrutinib compared with 1L CT/CIT-2L ibrutinib (HR 0.35 [0.21-0.61] and 0.64 [0.39-1.04], respectively). CONCLUSION: The analyses consistently showed a reduced risk of death when ibrutinib was used as a 1L treatment in CLL compared with delaying its use until 2L after CT/CIT regimens, which suggests that initiating ibrutinib in 1L is advantageous for improving survival outcomes.

Blinatumomab after R-CHOP bridging therapy for patients with Richter transformation: a phase 2 multicentre trial.

Richter transformation (RT) is an aggressive lymphoma occurring in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Here we investigated the anti-CD3/anti-CD19 T-cell-engager blinatumomab after R-CHOP (i.e. rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) in patients with untreated RT of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma histology (NCT03931642). In this multicentre phase 2 study, patients without complete response (CR) after two cycles of R-CHOP were eligible to receive an 8-week blinatumomab induction via continuous vein infusion with stepwise dosing until 112 µg/day. The primary endpoint was the CR rate after blinatumomab induction and secondary endpoint included safety, response duration, progression-free and overall survival. Thirty-nine patients started the first cycle of R-CHOP, 25 of whom received blinatumomab. After blinatumomab induction, five (20%) patients achieved CR, four (16%) achieved partial response, and six (24%) were stable. Considering the entire strategy, the overall response rate in the full-analysis-set was 46% (n = 18), with CR in 14 (36%) patients. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events of all grades in the blinatumomab-safety-set included fever (36%), anaemia (24%), and lymphopaenia (24%). Cytokine release syndrome (grade 1/2) was observed in 16% and neurotoxicity in 20% of patients. Blinatumomab demonstrated encouraging anti-tumour activity (the trial met its primary endpoint) and acceptable toxicity in patients with RT.

Next-CLL, a New Next-Generation Sequencing-Based Method for Assessment of IGHV Gene Mutational Status in Chronic Lymphoid Leukemia.

Current guidelines for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) recommend mutation status determination of the clonotypic IGHV gene before treatment initiation to guide the choice of first-line therapy. Currently, commercially available next-generation sequencing (NGS) solutions have technical constraints, as they necessitate at least a 2 × 300 bp sequencing, which restricts their use for routine practice. The cost of the commercial kits also represents an important drawback. We present a new method called Next-CLL, a ready-to-use strategy to evaluate IGHV gene mutation status using any NGS device (including 2 × 150 bp sequencers) in routine diagnostic laboratories. The performance of Next-CLL was validated on genomic DNA and cDNA obtained from 80 patients with CLL at diagnosis. Next-CLL identified a productive clone in 100% of cases, whereas PCR with Sanger sequencing led to a 12.5% failure rate. Next-CLL had 100% concordance with the reference technique for IGHV gene identification and allowed assessment of the IGHV mutation status from the leader sequence, following international guidelines. Comparing a large retrospective series of samples, analyzed by using Sanger sequencing (n = 773) or Next-CLL (n = 352), showed no bias in IGHV usage or mutational status, further validating our strategy in the real-life setting. Next-CLL represents a straightforward workflow for IGHV analysis in routine practice to assess clonal architecture and prognosis of patients with CLL.

HLA-DR expression on monocytes and outcome of anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy for large B-cell lymphoma.

Despite their unprecedented success in relapsed/refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), anti-CD19 CAR T cells are associated with significant toxicity, and more than half of patients relapse. As monocytes emerged as key players in CAR therapy, we sought to evaluate the evolution of HLA-DR expression on monocytes (mHLA-DR) before and after commercial anti-CD19 CAR T-cell infusion in a large cohort (n = 103) of patients with R/R LBCL and its association with adverse events and treatment response. Cy-Flu-based lymphodepletion (LD) upregulated mHLA-DR in 79% of the cases, whereas in 2l% of cases (15 patients), the mHLA-DR level decreased after LD, and this decrease was associated with poorer outcome. Low mHLA-DR at day minus 7 (D-7) (<13 500 antibodies per cell) before CAR T-cell infusion correlated with older age, poorer performance status, higher tumor burden, and elevated inflammatory markers. With a median follow-up of 7.4 months, patients with low mHLA-DR D-7 exhibited a poorer duration of response and survival than the higher mHLA-DR D-7 group. For toxicity management, tocilizumab was more frequently used in the low-mHLA-DR D-7 group. These data suggest that monocyte dysregulation before LD, characterized by the downregulation of mHLA-DR, correlates with an inflammatory and immunosuppressive tumor environment and is associated with failure of anti-CD19 CAR T cells in patients with R/R LBCL. Modulation of these myeloid cells represents a promising field for improving CAR therapy.

A fixed-duration immunochemotherapy approach in CLL: 5.5-year results from the phase 2 ICLL-07 FILO trial.

In previously untreated, medically fit patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), research is focused on developing fixed-duration strategies to improve long-term outcomes while sparing patients from serious toxicities. The ICLL-07 trial evaluated a fixed-duration (15-month) immunochemotherapy approach in which after obinutuzumab-ibrutinib induction for 9 months, patients (n = 10) in complete remission (CR) with bone marrow (BM) measurable residual disease (MRD) <0.01% continued only ibrutinib 420 mg/day for 6 additional months (I arm), whereas the majority (n = 115) received up to 4 cycles of fludarabine/cyclophosphamide-obinutuzumab 1000 mg alongside the ibrutinib (I-FCG arm). Primary analysis at month 16 showed that 84 of 135 (62.2%) patients enrolled achieved CR with a BM MRD <0.01%. Here, we report follow-up at median 63 months. Peripheral blood (PB) MRD was assessed 6 monthly beyond the end of treatment using a highly sensitive (10-6) flow cytometry technique. In the I-FCG arm, the PB MRD <0.01% rate (low-level positive <0.01% or undetectable with limit of detection ≤10-4) in evaluable patients was still 92.5% (74/80) at month 40 and 80.6% (50/62) at month 64. No differences in the PB MRD status were apparent per to the IGHV mutational status. In the overall population, 4-year progression-free and overall survival rates were 95.5% and 96.2%, respectively. Twelve deaths occurred overall. Fourteen serious adverse events occurred beyond the end of treatment. Thus, our fixed-duration immunochemotherapy approach produced deep and sustained PB MRD responses, high survival rates, and low long-term toxicity. A randomized trial is needed to compare our immunochemotherapy approach with a chemotherapy-free strategy. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02666898.

Rituximab in combination with adapted-dose of ifosfamide and etoposide as salvage treatment in elderly refractory/relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients non-candidate for high dose therapy: a retrospective study.

We retrospectively reviewed for 72 relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients ineligible for autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) treated between 2004 and 2017, efficacy and safety profile of rituximab (375 mg/m2) in combination with etoposide (300 mg/m2) and ifosfamide (1500 mg/m2) at 2, 3, or 4-week intervals. Median age was 79 years (range, 64-92). The median number of previous line was 1 (range 1-8). Patients received a median of six cycles (1-12). Fourteen patients (19%) presented partial and 14 complete responses (19%). Among the 369 cycles, nine patients developed febrile neutropenia (13%), 14 a grade 3-4 neutropenia (19%), 7 a grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia (10%) without grade 3-4 non-hematological toxicity. With a median follow up of 7.8 months, the median progression-free survival, overall survival, and duration of response were 4.4 months, 9.4 months, and 12 months, respectively. This regimen represents a therapeutic option in R/R DLBCL patients ineligible to ASCT.

Crystal-storing histiocytosis and Bing-Neel-like syndrome revealing a small B-cell lymphoma with plasmacytic differentiation, presumed to be a marginal zone lymphoma.

Crystal-storing histiocytosis and Bing-Neel syndrome are two diseases induced by paraproteins. Herein, we report a rare case of crystal-storing histiocytosis associated with Bing-Neel-like neurological manifestations in the context of a small B-cell lymphoma with plasmacytic differentiation, presumed to be a marginal zone lymphoma.

Clinicopathological features and survival in EBV-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified.

In this retrospective study, we report 70 cases of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)+ diffuse large B-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (DLBCL-NOS) among 1696 DLBCL-NOS cases diagnosed between 2006 and 2019 (prevalence of 4.1%). At diagnosis, median age was 68.5 years; 79% of the cases presented with an advanced-stage disease (III-IV), 48% with extranodal lesions, and 14% with an hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) (8 at diagnosis and 1 on therapy). A total of 46 cases presented a polymorphic pattern, and 21 were monomorphic. All had a non-germinal center B phenotype, with the majority of tumor cells expressing CD30 and programmed death ligand 1 (98% and 95%, respectively). Type II and III EBV latency was seen in 88% and 12% of the cases, respectively. Patients were treated with immunochemotherapy (59%) or chemotherapy (22%), and 19% received palliative care due to advanced age and altered performance status. After a median follow-up of 48 months, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) at 5 years were 52.7% and 54.8%, respectively. Older age (>50 years) and HLH were associated with shorter PFS and OS in multivariate analysis (PFS: hazard ratio [HR], 14.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.34-83.97; and HR, 5.78; 95% CI, 2.35-14.23; OS: HR, 12.41; 95% CI, 1.65-93.53; and HR, 6.09; 95% CI, 2.42-15.30, respectively). Finally, using a control cohort of 425 EBV- DLBCL-NOS, EBV positivity was associated with a shorter OS outcome within patients >50 years (5-year OS, 53% [95% CI, 38.2-74] vs 60.8% [95% CI, 55.4-69.3], P = .038), but not in younger patients.

Prognostic Impact of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Patients With Aggressive B-Cell Lymphoma Treated With Anti-CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells.

PURPOSE OF THE REPORT: We aimed to evaluate the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in predicting patient outcome following chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T) cells infusion in aggressive B-cell lymphoma. METHODS: 18F-FDG PET/CT data before leukapheresis, before CAR T-cell infusion and 1 month (M1) after CAR T-cell infusion, from 72 patients were retrospectively analyzed. SUVmax, total lesion glycolysis (TLG), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and parameters describing tumor kinetics were calculated for each 18F-FDG PET/CT performed. The aim was to evaluate the prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters for predicting progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) following CAR T-cell therapy. RESULTS: Regarding PFS, ∆MTVpre-CAR and ∆TLGpre-CAR were found to be more discriminating compared with metabolic parameters at preinfusion. Median PFS in patients with a ∆MTVpre-CAR of less than 300% was 6.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8 months to not reached) compared with 2.8 months (95% CI, 0.9-3.0 months) for those with a value of 300% or greater (P = 0.004). Likewise, median PFS in patients with ∆TLGpre-CAR of less than 420% was 6.8 months (95% CI, 2.8 months to not reached) compared with 2.7 months (95% CI, 1.3-3.0 months) for those with a value of 420% or greater (P = 0.0148). Regarding OS, metabolic parameters at M1 were strongly associated with subsequent outcome. SUVmax at M1 with a cutoff value of 14 was the most predictive parameter in multivariate analysis, outweighing other clinicobiological variables (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Disease metabolic volume kinetics before infusion of CAR T cells seems to be superior to initial tumor bulk itself for predicting PFS. For OS, SUVmax at M1 might adequately segregate patients with different prognosis.

Significant increase in the apparent incidence of essential thrombocythemia related to new WHO diagnostic criteria: a population-based study.

To observe the effect of the new World Health Organization (WHO) criteria on the incidence of myeloproliferative neoplasms, we performed a retrospective study of a population-based registry in the Côte d'Or area, France, from 1980 to 2007. A total of 524 myeloproliferative neoplasms were registered for the 1980-2007 period, including 135 polycythemia vera, 308 essential thrombocythemia and 81 idiopathic myelofibroses. No change in the incidence of either polycythemia vera or idiopathic myelofibrosis was observed for the 2005-2007 period, compared to 1980-2004. On the contrary, a pronounced increase in the incidence of essential thrombocythemia was noted after 2005, mainly due to the use of JAK2 mutation screening and a lower threshold of platelet count. Our study confirms the relevance of the new WHO diagnostic criteria in allowing earlier diagnosis of essential thrombocythemia.

A prospective analysis of the genotypic diversity and dynamics of the Candida albicans colonizing flora in neutropenic patients with de novo acute leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Genotyping studies have shown heterogeneity of Candida albicans flora in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection, with possible co-existence of multiple clones with distinct resistance patterns. We report the result of a prospective study aimed at investigating the dynamics and heterogeneity of C. albicans flora in patients with de novo acute leukemia. DESIGN AND METHODS: Between 2001 and 2003, 66 consecutive adults with newly diagnosed acute leukemia were monitored for Candida colonization. From 19 patients with repeated multi-site C. albicans colonization, eight were randomly selected and multiple isolates from each individual mucosal site were genotyped sequentially over time using microsatellite markers. RESULTS: Despite topical use of polyenes, 60.6% of the patients were colonized repeatedly and at multiple sites. Altogether, 2,730 peripheral samples were cultured, 379 (13.9%) of which yielded yeasts. C. albicans was the most common species recovered (68%). From eight randomly selected patients colonized with C. albicans, 429 isolates were genotyped. Seven patients carried a unique genotype which was identical in all body niches and over the period of study. In one case, minor genotypic differences were observed. None of the patients shared C. albicans clones with identical genotypic profiles. Candidemia occurred in one of eight patients and the blood strain genotype did not differ from those of colonizing isolates. The genotypic profile was not altered by topical and/or systemic use of antifungal agents in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with de novo acute leukemia, genetic evolution of the colonizing C. albicans flora and selection of variants or replacement of the original strain upon antifungal drug pressure or nosocomial transmission are rare events.