title: Oral candidosis in patients with advanced cancer.
abstract: The objectives of the study were to determine the epidemiology, aetiology, clinical features and microbiological aspects of oral candidosis in a cohort of cancer patients receiving specialist palliative care. One hundred and twenty patients participated in the study. Seventy-nine (66%) of the patients had microbiological evidence of oral yeast carriage, whilst 36 (30%) of the patients had combined clinical and microbiological evidence of oral candidosis. Oral candidosis was associated with a poor performance status, the presence of xerostomia, and the presence of dentures; oral candidosis was not associated with the use of oral/parenteral antibiotics, or the use of oral/parenteral corticosteroids. Candida albicans was the predominant organism isolated from the oral swabs of patients with oral candidosis. However, non-C. albicans species were the predominant organism in 25% cases, and a contributing organism in a further 19% cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative Medicine, Royal Marsden Hospital, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, and Dental Institute, King's College London, United Kingdom. andrew.davies@rmh.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Andrew N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Susan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Brailsford
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beighton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002180:Candidiasis, Oral / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D010166:Palliative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013282:Stomatitis, Denture / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000150:complications