Infections in Patients with Cancer

Abstract

OverviewPatients with cancer have an increased risk of developing infections, owing both to their underlying disease and its treatment. This risk appears to be greatest in patients with hematologic malignancies and in hematopoietic cell transplant recipients. This is due primarily to the development of various immunologic defects such as neutropenia and impaired cellular and/or humoral immunity, each associated with a unique spectrum of infection. Newer therapeutic modalities for the treatment of some cancers are changing the spectrum of infections as are the increasing use of catheters and other medical devices. While bacterial infections are documented most often, opportunistic fungal and viral infections are being encountered with increasing frequency. The morbidity and mortality of infections in cancer patients is generally greater than in the general population. Thus, early diagnosis and the prompt administration of appropriate therapy are of paramount importance. Antimicrobial resistance among these pathogens has become a worldwide problem, which can only be partially tackled by the development of novel agents. Consequently, the importance of conducting frequent epidemiologic surveillance in order to detect local epidemiologic shifts and of infection prevention, infection control, and antimicrobial stewardship cannot be emphasized enough. The number of cancer survivors is steadily increasing. Many of these patients remain immunosuppressed for substantial periods of time. Keeping these survivors healthy and infection free will continue to be a challenge for years to come.