UTILITY OF PLASMA CELL-FREE DNA NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING FOR DIAGNOSIS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN PATIENTS WITH HEMATOLOGICAL DISORDERS

Neutropenia is a risk factor for infections in patients with hematological disorders who have received cytotoxic chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy. Pathogen detection is critical to optimize antibiotic treatment, but it can be challenging in patients with neutropenia. Microbial next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been proposed as a fast, non-culture-based, and unbiased method for pathogen detection, but invasive specimens are often required, and the clinical impact of cfDNA NGS in patients with hematological diseases is unclear.

Invasive sampling procedures can lead to complications in immunocompromised patients, with complication rates ranging from 1% to 52%. Plasma cfDNA NGS, a non-invasive microbial identification technology, has shown great potential in the diagnosis of infectious diseases but has not been extensively studied in patients with hematological diseases. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic ability and clinical impacts of plasma cfDNA NGS in patients with hematological diseases, particularly those with neutropenia.

The study aims to evaluate the clinical impact of plasma cfDNA NGS in patients with hematological diseases, where traditional diagnostic methods may be limited. This non-invasive method may provide an accurate and timely diagnosis, especially for patients with neutropenia, reducing the risk of inappropriate empirical antibiotic treatment and improving patient outcomes.

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