High Frequency of Polymicrobial Infections After Surgical Resection of Malignant Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Surgical resection of a malignant bone tumor (BT) or soft tissue tumor (STT), with or without prosthetic replacement, carries a high risk of developing postoperative infections. There is limited knowledge on the bacteriological spectrum of these postsurgical infections that necessitate empirical antibiotic therapy. The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence and microbiological features of site infections following BT or STT resection.

In this retrospective mono-center study, we analyzed the surgical and bacteriological data of all consecutive patients who developed an infection after surgical resection of a BT or STT between January 2010 and April 2014.

Seventy-two consecutive patients who developed an infection on the site of surgical treatment for a BT (n = 42) or SST (n = 30) were included. Polymicrobism was frequently observed, more often associated with STTs (93%) than BTs (71%; P = 0.03). Gram-negative bacteria were more frequently isolated in STTs (55%) than in BTs (26%; P = 0.01) and non-prosthesis-associated infections (54%) than prosthesis-associated infections (29%; P = 0.04), whereas staphylococci were more frequently found in BTs (76%) than in STTs (52%; P = 0.03). Overall, we found gram negatives in 82% of early acute infections, 11% of chronic infections and 7% of late acute infections (P < 0.01).

Postoperative infections in patients after surgical resection of BTs or STTs were often polymicrobial, especially following STTs. Causative bacteria were often gram negatives in STTs and non-prosthesis-associated infections, whereas staphylococci were predominant in BTs. Based on these findings, we recommend antibiotic coverage of both gram-positive and -negative bacteria with a combination of broad-spectrum antibiotics in STTs and antistaphylococcal antibiotics as first-line therapy in infections following BT surgery.