To Assess the Utility Of 1,3-Beta–D-Glucan Assay as An Aid in Early Diagnosis of Invasive Fungal Infections in Patients with Haematological Malignancies at A Tertiary Cancer Care Centre.

Introduction: Fungal infections, once considered rare, have become significant causes of morbidity and mortality, especially among immunocompromised patients.

Aim: To assess the utility of 1,3 beta D-glucan assay as an aid in early diagnosis of invasive fungal infections in patients with haematological malignancies from a tertiary cancer care center at Bikaner.

Methodology: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology and the Department of Medical Oncology at Sardar Patel Medical College and Associated Group of Hospitals, Bikaner, from October 2023 to March 2024, or until the desired sample size was reached. Blood samples registered and processed further at Microbiology lab for Kinetic ELISA (SPECTRA MAXTM*). FDA-approved serum test for detecting invasive fungal infections by measuring (1→3)-β-D-glucan The Fungitell® assay used. Interpretation of result values <60, 60 to 79 and ≥ 80 pg/ml interpreted as negative, intermediate and positive respectively. All statistical analysis done by using the SPSS Software. The data represented as number as well as mean and median for quantitative variables. All proportions compared using the Chi-square test and result with P <0.05 were taken as statistically significant.

Result: We found, β-D glucan (BDG) had a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 90.66%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 56.25%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 100%. The study found consistent result with those of previous studies, which report variable sensitivity and specificity of BDG assays across different specimen types, with generally high specificity but lower sensitivity.

Conclusion: The study concludes that the 1,3-beta-D-glucan (BDG) assay is a valuable, non-invasive biomarker for early diagnosis of invasive fungal infections in haematological malignancy patients, enhancing clinical decision-making and improving outcomes, with further research needed to refine its specificity.

KEYWORDS: β-D Glucan, Haematological Malignancies, Invasive Fungal Infections, The Fungitell Assay.