OBJECTIVE: To improve the understanding of the clinical features of pulmonary cryptococcosis in non-human immunodeficiency virus (non-HIV) infection patients and reduce delay in diagnosis, or misdiagnosis. METHODS: The clinical features, imaging characteristics, laboratory examinations, treatment and prognosis of 34 cases of pulmonary cryptococcosis were retrospectively analyzed. The data were collected from Peking University First Hospital from June 1997 to June 2016. RESULTS: There were 34 cases diagnosed with pulmonary cryptococcosis, including 22 males and 12 females, aged from 20 to 75 years [average: (50.1±15.0) years]. There were 16 cases with host factors and (or) underlying diseases named immunocompromised group. In the study, 67.6% patients had clinical symptoms while 32.4% patients had no symptoms. The most common symptoms included cough, fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, and hemoptysis in sequence. Common chest imaging findings were patchy infiltrates, consolidation, single or multiple nodular or masses shadows. Among the 20 cases with cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide antigen detection, 19 were positive. Eleven cases underwent routine cerebrospinal fluid examination, and 3 cases complicated with central nervous system cryptococcal infection. At first visit, 24 cases were misdiagnosed, among which, 11 cases were misdiagnosed as lung cancer. The diagnosis of 15 cases was proved by percutaneous lung biopsy and 11 were confirmed by surgery, while 8 were diagnosed clinically. Then 11 cases were treated by surgical resection, and in median 4 years' followp, there was 1 case of recurrence. And 23 cases were treated with antifungal therapy, and in median 8 years' follow-up, 3 cases lost to the follow-up and 1 case of recurrence. Compared with normal immune group, immunocompromised patients had higher ages (P=0.017), more crackles (P=0.006) and more percentage of increase of peripheral white blood cells or neutrophils (P=0.003), but no significant difference in symptoms, imaging characteristics or hospitalization time. CONCLUSION There were no specific clinical symptoms and signs for pulmonary cryptococcosis in non-HIV patients. Diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis depends on pathology. Percutaneous lung biopsy was mostly recommended for clinical highly suspected patients. Cryptoeoccal capsular polysaccharide antigen detection had a high sensitivity for the clinical diagnosis. Antifungal drug therapy was the major treatment, and the prognosis of the most patients was good.
Adult ; Aged ; Cryptococcosis/pathology* ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Errors ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; Lung Diseases, Fungal/pathology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

Antifungal Agents ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; microbiology ; pathology ; Lung Diseases, Fungal ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Middle Aged ; Schizophyllum ; drug effects ; pathogenicity ; Voriconazole ; therapeutic use

Amphotericin B ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Antifungal Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Child ; Cough ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Cryptococcosis ; Fever ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Fluconazole ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Lung ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Lung Diseases, Fungal ; complications ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Male ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical characteristics, causes of pre-operative misdiagnosis and therapy of pulmonary cryptococcosis. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 28 patients suffering from pulmonary cryptococcosis from 2008 to 2013 in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. All patients were diagnosed pathologically. RESULTS: Of the 28 patients, 19 had no clear host factors. No patient was exposed to pigeons recently. The imaging findings showed that most patients had solitary, multiple nodules, masses, and patches. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) showed abnormal accumulation of fluorodeoxyglucose. Seven patients demonstrated malignancy and 1 demonstrated tuberculosis. None was considered as pulmonary fungus diseases. Microscopically, cryptococcosis granuloma formation was found in all patients and cryptococcosis neoformans were detected by Periodic acid-schiff and Grocott methenamine silver staining methods in the histopathological examination, respectively. Twenty-seven patients underwent lobectomy, and 1 had the medical antifungal drugs treatment. During the follow-up, symptoms in only 1 patient were not controlled. CONCLUSION Most pulmonary cryptococcosis patients have no evident immunocompromise. Clinical presentation of pulmonary cryptococcosis varies and is often related to the immune status of patients. Radiological manifestation of pulmonary cryptococcosis is indistinguishable from malignant tumor, and even 18F-FDG-PET imaging does not help to get a clear diagnosis. After surgical resection of the lung, systemic antifungal treatment is still necessary for special population. Systemic therapy of both fluconazole and itraconazole is classic choice for pulmonary cryptococcosis.
Cryptococcosis ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Humans ; Lung ; microbiology ; pathology ; Lung Diseases, Fungal ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo clarify the clinical feature, diagnosis and therapy of the pulmonary cryptococcosis (PC).

METHODSA retrospective study of cases with PC who were diagnosed by pathological examinations between January 1996 and December 2010 was conducted. Eighty-one cases were enrolled in the study (58 male and 23 female patients; mean age of (51±11) years). Forty-one cases were asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. There were single pulmonary lesions in 50 cases, and multiple lesions in 31 cases. Fourteen lesions (17.3%) were located in left upper lobe, 27 (33.3%) in left lower lobe, 21 (25.9%) in right upper lobe, 3 (3.7%) in right middle lobe, 28 (34.6%) in right lower lobe, and 3 (3.7%) diffusely involved bilateral lungs. The tumors ranged from 0.8 to 10.0 cm in diameter with a mean of (2.9±1.8) cm. All the cases were misdiagnosis prior to the surgical resection, and histologically confirmed by postoperative pathological specimens.

RESULTSAll the cases received surgical treatment including complete resection in 69 cases, and palliative resection in 12 cases. Resections were performed by means of video-assisted thoracoscopy in 31 cases and thoracotomy in 50 cases. Surgical resections included pulmonary wedge excisions in 42 cases, and lobectomies in 39 cases. After histological confirmation, 63 cases (77.8%) were treated with antifungal agents, which consisted of fluconazole in 38 cases, itraconazole in 18 cases, amphotericin B in 6 cases, and flucytosine in 4 cases. There were no intraoperative death, but two cases died for cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in the postoperative period. Operative morbidity occurred in 7 (8.6%) cases. The median follow-up was 42.5 months (6 to 84 months). There were 2 local relapses of PC, and 9 cases with complications of anti-fungal agents.

CONCLUSIONSThe clinical manifestations of PC are mild and non-specific, with no characteristic radiographic manifestations. Surgical resection is usually indicated for definite diagnosis and treatment. Antifungal drug therapy is indispensable even after complete resection.

Adult ; Aged ; Antifungal Agents ; therapeutic use ; Cryptococcosis ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung ; microbiology ; pathology ; Lung Diseases, Fungal ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Lung Diseases, Fungal ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mucormycosis ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical characteristics of invasive pulmonary fungal infections (IPFI).

METHODSThe clinical data of 48 patients with confirmed IPFI at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2004 to December 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into primary IPFI group and secondary IPFI groups based on their disease courses.

RESULTSThe most commonly seen fungi were aspergillus species (37.5%) and cryptococcus species (37.5%), and community acquired infections accounted for 87.5%. The secondary IPFI accounted for 66.7% among all cases, in which the major pathogens were aspergillus species; in the primary IPFI group, the major pathogens were cryptococcus species. The symptoms of IPFI were non-specific and mostly presented as cough, fever, hemoptysis, and dyspnea. The common imaging features included multiple nodules, infiltrates and consolidations, or diffused lesions in bilateral lungs, and cavities were found in 11 patients (22.9%). The clinical symptoms and imaging findings were not significantly different between these two groups. A total of 46 patients (95.8%) received antifungal therapies or surgeries. Ten patients (20.8%; all from the secondary IPFI group) died, making the fatality rate significantly different between the primary IPFI group and secondary IPFI group (P=0.033).

CONCLUSIONSThe major pathogens of IPFI are aspergillus species and cryptococcus species, and most of them are community acquired. The secondary IPFI with aspergillus species tend to be highly fatal. The clinical symptoms and imaging features are non-specific. Early diagnosis with prompt antifungal therapies, or even with surgical intervention, may be beneficial for these patients.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Diseases, Fungal ; microbiology ; mortality ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

Fungi ; Humans ; Lung Diseases, Fungal ; microbiology ; pathology

The objective of this study was to evaluate the etiological factors, diagnosis and therapy of pulmonary fungal infection in hematological malignancies, 14 cases of malignant hematological disease with pulmonary fungal infection were collected and analyzed. The results showed that 11 out of 14 cases had the respiratory manifestations, sputum was sticky and difficult to be expectorated in 7 cases, X rays in chests showed shadows with features of stigma and sheet in 11 cases, Candida albicans and aspergillus infection were observed in 10 and 2 cases respectively, the numbers of neutrophil were below 0.5 x 10(9)/L in 8 cases and below 1.0 x 10(9)/L in 3 cases respectively, fluconazole was used for 12 cases and clinical symptoms of 11 cases were improved within two weeks. In conclusion, the occurrence of pulmonary fungal infection in malignant hematological diseases is associated with intensive chemotherapy, decrease of neutrophil counts and using of broad-spectrum antibiotics, the diagnosis at early stage is difficult and clinicians should pay more attention to its clinical and laboratory examinations, and give them therapy in time.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antifungal Agents ; therapeutic use ; Aspergillosis ; complications ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Candidiasis ; complications ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Female ; Fluconazole ; therapeutic use ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; etiology ; pathology ; Humans ; Lung Diseases, Fungal ; complications ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

Adult ; Amphotericin B ; therapeutic use ; Cryptococcosis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Diseases, Fungal ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radiography, Thoracic