TURKISH JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2008 , Vol 23 , Num 3
Opportunistic infections in cancer patients
Özlem ALICI,1 Enver AKBAŞ,2 Süleyman ALICI2
1 Fatih Üniversitesi, İnfeksiyon Hastalıkları Anabilim Dalı, İstanbul
2 Ankara Atatürk Eğtitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Tıbbi Onkoloji Kliniği, Ankara
Infections are the most common complication and major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer. Fever remains the only indicator of infection in this group of patients. The list of potential pathogens includes both conventional microorganisms and opportunistic agents. The epidemiological pattern of infections in patients with cancer is influenced by the following factors: 1) the severity and duration of neutropenia, 2) the nature of antineoplastic therapy, 3) host related factors, 4) the use of chemoprophylaxis and/or empirical antibiotic therapy, 5) the use of external medical devices such as central venous catheters, 6) environmental factors, and 7) duration of hospital stay. This article will focus on current challenges associated with opportunistic infections. Keywords : Fever; infection; cancer