Infections in Patients with hematological-oncological Diseases

Infections represent a frequent and severe complication of patients with hematological-oncological disorders. The individual infection risk is determined by the presence of various risk factors such as the type of antineoplastic treatment. The purpose of this work was to determine the incidence of infections in patients with hematological-oncological disorders. The spectrum of causative agents and risk factors in these patients are also described and recommendations on diagnostic workup and antimicrobial treatment are given. Selective literature search, discussion of expert opinions. Infections in cancer patients may involve different organ systems and might be caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Common infection types include febrile neutropenia in addition to other bacterial and viral infections (e. g., herpes zoster). Patients with high-risk neutropenia (absolute neutrophile count < 100/A mu l for > 7 days) and recipients of an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation also show an increased risk for fungal (e. g., pulmonary aspergillosis) and parasitic infections (e. g., CNS toxoplasmosis). Diagnosis is based on routine procedures (such as blood cultures) and clinically-driven investigations (e. g., CT scan of the lungs). Antimicrobial treatment might be empiric, preemptive, or targeted. Infections significantly contribute to morbidity and mortality of patients with hematological-oncological disorders. The timely initiation of adequate diagnostics and antimicrobial treatment is crucial to reduce the mortality in these patients.