Pathogen spectrum and clinical characteristics of lung cancer patients: A 10-year retrospective study

Infection is the most common non-cancer cause of death in patients with lung cancer (LC). However, original research reports with large sample sizes on the epidemiology, pathogen spectrum, immune status changes, and prognosis of these patients are lacking. A retrospective study of LC patients with infection was performed at Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital from 2014 to 2023. In total, 699 LC patients with disease complicated by infection were included in the study. The incidence of infection increased from 4.61% in 2014 to 9.77% in 2023 among patients with LC. A total of 109 types of pathogens were detected. The most prevalent pathogenic organisms in each category were bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli), fungi (Candida spp. and Aspergillus spp.), viruses (COVID-19 and Epstein-Barr virus), and special pathogens (Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycoplasma pneumoniae). Upon diagnosis of infection, the total T lymphocyte, helper T cell, Th/Ts ratio, and B lymphocyte counts decreased, while the natural killer cell and suppressor T-cell counts increased. Infection is a crucial risk factor affecting the prognosis and mortality of patients with LC. The susceptibility of patients with LC to infection may be related to immunodeficiency resulting from antitumor treatment and disease progression.