Is adjuvant antifungal therapy after video-assisted thoracic surgery for pulmonary aspergilloma necessary?

Outcomes of pulmonary resection in pulmonary aspergilloma: A retrospective cohort study in a single tertiary-care hospital in Northern Thailand

BACKGROUND

To date, surgery is the best approach to maximize a cure for symptomatic aspergilloma, but this is not without risk of both morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to present the characteristics and outcomes of 77 patients diagnosed with aspergilloma who underwent surgery at Chiang Mai University Hospital (CMUH), and to identify risk factors for composite major postoperative complications (CMPC).

METHODS

This is an observational retrospective cohort study carried out at CMUH over a period of 11 years from January 1, 2010, to February 28, 2021. Patient characteristics and postoperative outcomes were studied. The primary outcomes were categorized into CMPC. Univariable and multivariable risk regression analysis were used to identify risk factors of CMPC, with risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals being calculated.

RESULTS

There were 77 patients included in this study; 27 patients identified as having CMPC and 55 patients as a non-CMPC group. From the multivariable analysis, a factor associated with CMPC included perioperative FFP transfusion (risk ratio (RR) 1.01,95 % CI 1.01-1.02) and preoperative angiogram embolization (RR 8.42, 95 % CI 1.44-49.06) whereas immediate extubation (RR 0.22, 95% CI 0.06-0.81) was less likely to be associated with CMPC. There was a trend of increased risk of CMPC in patients received perioperative blood transfusion, but the data did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has identified a need for patient profiling before embarking on lung surgery for aspergilloma, to predict outcomes and allocate resources appropriately for safer surgery.

Recurrent Verruconis gallopava Infection at One Year after Excision of a Solitary Pulmonary Lesion

We herein report a case of recurrent infection caused by Verruconis gallopava, which is known to cause fatal phaeohyphomycosis. A 71-year-old man presented with a fever, and computed tomography revealed right chest wall thickening. Eleven years earlier, he had undergone autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for a hematological malignancy. One year earlier, he had undergone excision of a solitary pulmonary nodule, from which had been detected V. gallopava. On this occasion, right chest wall surgery was performed to investigate the cause of the fever, which led to the diagnosis of recurrent infection. Even if a localized lesion is excised, additional antifungal therapy should be performed.

Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis: Clinical Presentation and Management

Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) refers to a number of clinical syndromes resulting from the presence and local proliferation of Aspergillus organisms in the lungs of patients with chronic lung disease. CPA is more common than was realized two decades ago. Recognition remains poor, despite recent studies from many countries highlighting the high prevalence in at-risk populations. In low- and middle-income countries, CPA may be misdiagnosed and treated as tuberculosis (TB). In addition, CPA may develop following successful TB treatment. The coronavirus disease pandemic has resulted in significant disruption to provision of TB care, likely leading to more extensive lung damage, which could increase the risk for CPA.Although CPA refers to various syndromes, the classic presentation is that of chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis, which manifests as one or more progressive cavities with or without a fungal ball, accompanied by systemic and respiratory symptoms for at least 3 months. Diagnosis relies on Aspergillus immunoglobulin G in serum, as sputum culture lacks sensitivity. Differential diagnosis includes mycobacterial infection, bacterial lung abscess or necrotizing pneumonia, lung cancer, and endemic fungi.The aim of antifungal treatment in CPA is to improve symptoms and quality of life, and to halt progression, and possibly reverse radiological changes. Current recommendations suggest treatment for 6 months, although in practice many patients remain on long-term treatment. Improvement may manifest as weight gain and improvement of symptoms such as productive cough, hemoptysis, and fatigue. Surgical management should be considered in cases of diagnostic uncertainty, in significant hemoptysis, and when there is concern for lack of response to therapy. Itraconazole and voriconazole are the first-line azoles, with more experience now accumulating with posaconazole and isavuconazole. Side effects are frequent and careful monitoring including therapeutic drug monitoring is essential. Intravenous antifungals such as echinocandins and amphotericin B are used in cases of azole intolerance or resistance, which often develop on treatment. Relapse is seen after completion of antifungal therapy in around 20% of cases, mostly in bilateral, high-burden disease.Several research priorities have been identified, including characterization of immune defects and genetic variants linked to CPA, pathogenetic mechanisms of Aspergillus adaptation in the lung environment, the contribution of non-fumigatus Aspergillus species, and the role of new antifungal agents, immunotherapy, and combination therapy.

Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis: comprehensive insights into epidemiology, treatment, and unresolved challenges

Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is a challenging respiratory infection caused by the environmental fungus Aspergillus. CPA has a poor prognosis, with reported 1-year mortality rates ranging from 7% to 32% and 5-year mortality rates ranging from 38% to 52%. A comprehensive understanding of the pathogen, pathophysiology, risk factors, diagnosis, surgery, hemoptysis treatment, pharmacological therapy, and prognosis is essential to manage CPA effectively. In particular, Aspergillus drug resistance and cryptic species pose significant challenges. CPA lacks tissue invasion and has specific features such as aspergilloma. The most critical risk factor for the development of CPA is pulmonary cavitation. Diagnostic approaches vary by CPA subtype, with computed tomography (CT) imaging and Aspergillus IgG antibodies being key. Treatment strategies include surgery, hemoptysis management, and antifungal therapy. Surgery is the curative option. However, reported postoperative mortality rates range from 0% to 5% and complications range from 11% to 63%. Simple aspergilloma generally has a low postoperative mortality rate, making surgery the first choice. Hemoptysis, observed in 50% of CPA patients, is a significant symptom and can be life-threatening. Bronchial artery embolization achieves hemostasis in 64% to 100% of cases, but 50% experience recurrent hemoptysis. The efficacy of antifungal therapy for CPA varies, with itraconazole reported to be 43-76%, voriconazole 32-80%, posaconazole 44-61%, isavuconazole 82.7%, echinocandins 42-77%, and liposomal amphotericin B 52-73%. Combinatorial treatments such as bronchoscopic triazole administration, inhalation, or direct injection of amphotericin B at the site of infection also show efficacy. A treatment duration of more than 6 months is recommended, with better efficacy reported for periods of more than 1 year. In anticipation of improvements in CPA management, ongoing advances in basic and clinical research are expected to contribute to the future of CPA management.

Outcomes of surgery for different types of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis: results from a single-center, retrospective cohort study

Background

The reported experience of surgical treatment for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) mainly focused on simple aspergilloma (SA), few about other types of CPA. The present study aims to evaluate the outcomes of surgical treatment for different types of CPA.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of 85 patients with CPA who underwent surgery from 2014 to 2020 at Shandong Provincial Chest Hospital. The patients were divided into four types, including SA, chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis (CCPA), chronic fibrosing pulmonary aspergillosis (CFPA), aspergillus nodule (AN). We collected and analyzed the preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative data to evaluate the outcomes of surgical treatment of different types of CPA.

Results

The four groups had similar age (p = 0.22), symptoms (p = 0.36), lesion location (p = 0.09), VATS rate (p = 0.08), recurrence rate (p = 0.95), and had significant difference in surgical procedures (p < 0.01), time of surgery (p < 0.01), intraoperative blood loss (p < 0.01), postoperative complication (p = 0.01). CFPA (P = 0.01), longer surgical time (P = 0.001), and more intraoperative blood loss (P = 0.004) were risk factors of postoperative complication, more intraoperative blood loss (> 400 ml) was the independent risk factor (OR 13.5, 95% CI 1.6–112.1, P = 0.02). 6 patients relapsed after surgery with a recurrence rate of 7.1%. The mean time to relapse was 14.8 months (2–30 months) after surgery. Relapse occurred in 2 SA patients, 3 CCPA, and 1 CFPA, respectively, while none of the AN patients relapsed. No risk factor for recurrence was found.

Conclusions

Surgical resection seems safe and effective in the treatment of SA, AN, CCPA with a low complication and recurrence rate, while surgery for CFPA should be limited to selected patients because of its higher complication rate.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12890-022-01836-z.

Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of Pathologically Confirmed Aspergillus Nodules

Aspergillus nodules represent a subtype of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, but details on their characteristics and outcomes are limited. We evaluated 80 patients with pathologically confirmed Aspergillus nodules between January 2009 and December 2016. The median age of the patients was 59 years, and 46 (58%) were women. Seventy-three (91%) patients were surgically diagnosed with Aspergillus nodules and the remaining seven (9%) patients were diagnosed by percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy. The median long-axis diameter of nodules was 22 mm, and nodules had an internal cavity in 49 (61%) patients. Spiculation and calcification were observed in 20% and 39% of patients, respectively. Ninety percent (18/20) of nodules showed uptake on positron emission tomography. Serum Aspergillus precipitin IgG antibody was positive in 42% (10/24) of tested patients. Seventy-three (91%) patients underwent surgery without (n = 58) or with (n = 15) adjuvant antifungal therapy, and the remaining seven (9%) patients received antifungal therapy alone (n = 5) or no treatment (n = 2). Three patients experienced postoperative pulmonary complications: pneumothorax, hemoptysis, and acute lung injury (n = 1 each). There was no recurrence during the median follow-up period of 36.8 months. In conclusion, surgery could be a treatment strategy worth considering for most Aspergillus nodules. However, given that our study population was heterogeneous, further well-designed studies are need.

The fate of aspergilloma patients after surgical treatment-experience from 22 cases

Background

Patients with pulmonary aspergillomas occasionally undergo surgery but it is somewhat unclear who of these patients benefit from surgical treatment.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated all 22 patients that underwent surgery in Helsinki University Central Hospital between 2004 and 2017. We assessed their clinical backgrounds, anti-fungal medication, indication for surgery, complications, recurrent infections and survival.

Results

Of the 22 patients, 14 male and 8 female, mean age 56, an underlying pulmonary disease was present in 20. On immunosuppressive medication were 8 (36%). Most received anti-fungal medication preoperatively (n=12) and/or postoperatively (n=17), 3 patients did not receive anti-fungal medication. Length of the medication periods were diverse. Main indication for surgery was haemoptysis. One in-hospital-death occurred, and other complications included prolonged air-leak, postoperative pneumonia, pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum. No Aspergillus empyema or pleurites occurred. Five-year survival was 54%. One in-hospital-death and one other death were the result of Aspergillus disease, other deaths were unrelated to Aspergillus. Recurrent disease occurred in four cases. Three of these patients were asthma patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA).

Conclusions

Overall results of surgery in this cohort were good and number of complications was low. Therapy with antifungals was diverse. Surgical treatment of aspergilloma can be life-saving for patients suffering of haemoptysis, and patients with restricted disease and well-preserved pulmonary capacity may benefit from surgery. Careful patient selection is crucial.