Successful empirical antifungal therapy of intravenous itraconazole with pharmacokinetic evidence in pediatric cancer patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background And Objectives: Empirical antifungal therapy prevents invasive fungal infections in patients with cancer. This study assessed the empirical efficacy of intravenous itraconazole in pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and investigated the pharmacokinetics and clinical implications.

Methods: Oral itraconazole syrup was started (2.

Favorable outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation using a targeted once-daily intravenous busulfan-fludarabine-etoposide regimen in pediatric and infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients.

Conditioning regimens for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) usually include total body irradiation (TBI), but TBI may result in serious sequelae. Busulfan and cyclophosphamide have been used as an alternative to TBI. Etoposide also has been widely used to enhance antileukemic effect.

Highly variable pharmacokinetics of once-daily intravenous busulfan when combined with fludarabine in pediatric patients: phase I clinical study for determination of optimal once-daily busulfan dose using pharmacokinetic modeling.

Busulfan has a narrow therapeutic range, and in children, pharmacokinetic variability has been found to be high even after the use of intravenous (i.v.) busulfan.