A case of pulmonary mucormycosis during imatinib-containing induction chemotherapy for Philadelphia-chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract

Pulmonary mucormycosis is an invasive fungal disease with a progressive clinical course and poor prognosis in patients with hematologic malignancies. Here, we report the case of a 15-year-old male with pulmonary mucormycosis during imatinib-containing induction chemotherapy for Philadelphia-chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The biopsy of the lung lesion was compatible with mucormycosis. Liposomal amphotericin B (L-AMB) was administered for a prolonged period, and residual lung lesions were surgically resected. The patient underwent unrelated bone marrow transplantation, but he developed severe graft-versus-host disease and died on day 93. The patient’s mucormycosis did not relapse during the course, although no autopsy was performed for confirmation. Thus, the prolonged course of L-AMB and the surgical resection of lung lesions were effective for controlling pulmonary mucormycosis.