Paranasal sinusitis occurred in 52 immunosuppressed cancer patients treated over 5 years a t the University of Maryland Cancer Center. Twenty-one patients had aspergillus sinusitis; Aspergillus sp, including fkrvus and niger were directly recovered from sinus in 19 of the 21 infections. Two other patients with sinus involvement and positive nose cultures for Aspergillusflovus orfirmigatus and microbiologically documented pulmonary aspergillosis were considered clinically, although not microbiologically, doeumented. Predis-posing factors for aspergillus sinusitis during the 60 days prior to infection diagnosis were granulocyte count less than 500 pl (mean duration, 42 days versus 14 days for sinusitis of other etiology; P < 0.001), prolonged hospitalization (mean duration, 22 days versus 14 days for patients with nonfungal sinusitis; P < 0.001), and prolonged antibiotic therapy (mean duration, 22 days versus 9 days; P < 0.001). Treatment with amphotericin B was initially successful for 18 of 21 patients; however, 11 of 18 patients had infection recurrence that always developed at time of tumor exacerbation and reinstitution or intensification of chemotherapy. These findings suggest that aspergillus sinusitis in cancer patients is seen in association with prolonged neutropenia and antibiotic therapy, is amenable to therapy, but tends to recur with relapse of malignancy.
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