Infections associated with solid malignancies

Although solid tumors comprise the vast majority of cancers, the incidence of serious infectious complications in this population is much less than in patients with hematologic malignancies. Most infections involving patients with solid tumors comprise two groups. First, patients acquire infections as a result of the cancer itself, due to either mass effect that interrupts normal function or destruction of the normal barriers to infection. Second, patients acquire infections as a complication of the treatments they receive, such as chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or medical devices. Advances in the management of cancer have resulted in a gradual stepwise improvement in survival for patients with most types of solid tumors. Much of this improvement has been attributed to advances in cancer screening, diagnosis, and therapeutic modalities. In addition, improvements in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infections have likely contributed to this prolonged survival. This review highlights select articles in the medical literature that shed light on the epidemiology and pathophysiology of infections in patients with solid tumors. In addition, this review focuses upon the diagnosis and treatment of these infections and their recent advances.