Etiology of infection associated with neoplastic changes of organs in the head and neck in patients hospitalized in the Oncology Centre in Warsaw

INTRODUCTIONS: According to clinical observations primary neoplastic lesions in the head and neck are often complicated by infection. The incidence of postoperative complications of cancer lesions of the head and neck, oral cavity, upper airways or larynx is from 19% up to 47% cases but in extensive and long-term operations can reach 80%. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated results of microbiological investigations of 312 clinical specimens collected from patients from Clinical Head and Neck Cancers of On- cology Center in Warsaw in the years 2008 -2012. All samples of clinical materials were plated on the suitable culture media and incubated according to the recommendations. RESULTS: The study has shown that from all collected clinical specimens 491 strains have been isolated. Nearly half of the cultured bacteria were Gram-positive cocci (48.7%), mainly methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. Most Gram-negative bacteria isolated from neoplastic lesions in the head and neck belong to Enterobacteriaceae (21%), 23,4% of cultured bacteria grown anaerobically and they were mainly Gram-negative rods. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of diverse bacterial flora colonizing the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat may be the reason of difficulties in interpretation of microbiological investigation. It must be remembered that knowledge of colonizing and pathogenic flora of the area of head and neck enables appropriate preoperative prevention and empiric therapy.