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RecruitingNCT06537726REDEFINEUpdated Apr 10, 2025

Breath Analysis for the Detection of Invasive Fungal Infections

An observational study in Leukemia, Leukemia, Myeloid and Leukemia, Lymphoblastic, sponsored by University of Zurich. Recruiting at 1 site in Switzerland. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-04-10.

Sponsored by University of Zurich · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
130
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Patients with leukemia and concomitant neutropenia are at high risk of developing invasive fungal infections (IFI) that are associated with high morbidity and mortality. As these patients typically have severe thrombocytopenia, direct diagnostic sampling with invasive procedures is often not possible due to the high peri-interventional risk. Therefore, the presumptive diagnosis of IFI is primarily based on compatible lung findings on computed tomography and serologic detection of fungal cell wall components, which, however, have limited sensitivity and specificity.

With the present study, the investigators aim to determine a set of specific volatile biomarkers in leukemia patients with proven or probable IFI using secondary electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (SESI-HRMS).

02

Conditions studied

  • Leukemia
  • Leukemia, Myeloid
  • Leukemia, Lymphoblastic
  • Neutropenia
  • Chemotherapy-induced Neutropenia
  • Invasive Fungal Infections
  • Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Probability sample

Study population

Patients with acute leukemia that are undergoing chemotherapy at the Department of Medical Oncology and Haematology at the University Hospital Zurich

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of acute leukemia
  • Planned chemotherapy with a duration of hospitalisation of 2 weeks or longer
  • Neutropenia (\<500/µl) present at inclusion or planned chemotherapy with expected neutropenia (\<500/µl) for more than 7 days

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unable to follow instructions for breath analysis
  • Anatomic abnormalities precluding the use of a mouthpiece for breath analysis
04

Study design

Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
130 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No
Biospecimen retention
Samples with dna

Groups and cohorts

  • No invasive fungal disease

    Patients, that retrospectively do not have evidence of IFI

    Diagnostic Test: Secondary electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (SESI-HRMS)

  • Possible invasive fungal disease

    Patients, that retrospectively have a possible IFI (according to EORTC guidelines). There is suspicion of IFI by clinical or radiological features, but no microbiological evidence of IFI.

    Diagnostic Test: Secondary electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (SESI-HRMS)

  • Probable invasive fungal disease

    Patients, that retrospectively have a probable IFI (according to EORTC guidelines). There is suspicion of IFI by clinical or radiological features, and indirect microbiological evidence of IFI.

    Diagnostic Test: Secondary electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (SESI-HRMS)

  • Proven invasive fungal disease

    Patients, that retrospectively have a proven IFI (according to EORTC guidelines). There is histological (angioinvasive growth of a fungus) or definitive microbiological evidence of IFI, e.g. evidence of a fungus from a sterile tissue.

    Diagnostic Test: Secondary electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (SESI-HRMS)

Interventions

  • Diagnostic testSecondary electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (SESI-HRMS)

    Identify volatile biomarkers of IFI by analyzing the breath metabolome of patients with proven or probable IFI according to the criteria outlined by EORTC/MSG and controls.

    Also known as: Blood sampling (serologic biomarkers, PCR), Sputum analysis, Low-dose CT

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Novel biomarker (m/z value) for IFI by SESI-HRMS

    Feature in Mass Spectrometry

    Time frame: through study completion, on average after 3 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Specificity and sensitivity of this novel biomarker

    Description of Accuracy and Precision of this novel biomarker

    Time frame: through study completion, on average after 3 weeks

  2. Anticipation of IFI

    Timepoint of first detection in relation to first clinical symptoms of IFI

    Time frame: through study completion, on average after 3 weeks

06

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • University Hospital of Zurich
    Zürich, 8091, Switzerland
    • Jeremy Deuel, PD Dr. Dr. · Contact · jeremy.deuel@usz.ch · +41442551111
    • Kevin Hofer, Dr. · Contact · kevin.hofer@usz.ch · +41442551111
    • Jeremy Deuel, PD Dr. · Principal investigator
    • Kevin Hofer, Dr. · Sub investigator
    • Noriane Sievi · Sub investigator
    • Egli Adrian, Prof. Dr. · Sub investigator
    Recruiting
07

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06537726
Lead sponsor
University of Zurich
Responsible party
Jeremy Deuel (Principal Investigaor, University of Zurich) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 5, 2024
Start date
Aug 19, 2024
Primary completion
Oct 31, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Oct 31, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Apr 10, 2025

Study contacts

Jeremy Deuel, PD Dr.
Contact
jeremy.deuel@usz.ch
+41 44 255 11 11
Kevin Hofer, Dr.
Contact
kevin.hofer@usz.ch
+41 44 255 11 11
Jeremy Deuel, PD Dr.
principal investigator · University of Zurich

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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