Background & objective: Nosocomial fungal infection is an important complication of cancer patients. Among them, pulmonary fungal infection is over 20%. This study was designed to analyze and evaluate risk factors, and clinical features of nosocomial pulmonary fungal infection in patients with cancer.
Methods: In 1 229 patients with malignant tumor, clinical records of 78 patients with nosocomial pulmonary fungal infection were retrospectively analyzed.
Results: Pulmonary fungal infection rate was 6.35% (78/1 229). The major fungus was Candida albicans (68.18%). The main risk factors were age of > or =50 years (P< 0.005), primary site (lung cancer, P< 0.001), cancer stage (stage IV, P< 0.005), pulmonary radiotherapy (P< 0.001), chemotherapy (P< 0.001), and long-term hospitalization ( >2 weeks, P< 0.005).
Conclusion: The effective methods to reduce nosocomial pulmonary fungal infection in patients with cancer are reducing risk factors, early diagnosis, and timely treatment.