Cancer patients dying from infections picked up in wards
Wednesday June 02 2010
Cancer patients are dying or suffering delays in treatment -- for months in some cases -- due to infections they are picking up in hospital, doctors warned yesterday.
Cancer patients are particularly vulnerable to infection because their defences are weakened due to the effects of the disease and anti-cancer therapy such as intensive chemotherapy.
Although the numbers who die from infection are low, the treatment to cure the disease may have to be delayed for weeks or months until they recover sufficiently, warned oncologist Prof Peter Daly and microbiologist Prof Hilary Humphreys.
The rate of infection, which can include MRSA or C Difficile, may be as high as one in 10 for patients on intensive chemotherapy -- although there are no firm figures.
They were speaking a the launch of a new position document produced by the Royal College of Physicians, which outlines the risks to patients and calls for renewed measures to control the threat.
Prof Daly, formerly of St James's Hospital, said patients with blood cancers leukaemia and lymphoma were particularly susceptible and the infection rate was likely to be higher in patients with this form of the disease.
"People who get a blood stream infection with cancer are less able to defeat that infection than someone who has a normal immune system and is not on chemotherapy.
"I have seen patients in intensive care after developing serious infection. They can develop lung failure and may end up extremely weak. Your capacity to give them chemotherapy may be delayed for weeks or months.
"Malignancy may be curable but it must be delivered in a particular timeframe. A delay can have disastrous consequences," he added.
He also warned that the risk of infection was increased further due to the mixing of patients with various diseases in the one ward -- a person with cancer may be sharing with someone suffering with diabetes or heart disease.
Outlining the measures needed to reduce the threat of infection to this vulnerable group, Prof Humphreys, of Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, called for:
- Single rooms with en suite shower and toilet facilities for patients with cancer whose immune system is weakened.
- Compliance with guidelines for patients with cancer who need intravenous drugs.
- Basic precautions such as handwashing and the maintenance of good dental and oral hygiene.
- Prudent use of antibiotics to reduce resistance.
- Vaccination of the patient against flu and pneumococcal disease.
- Better surveillance and monitoring.
He stressed that risk factors for healthcare-acquired infections need to be reduced and eliminated and, where possible, the patient should be treated on an out-patient basis.
- Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent
Irish Independent
