title: Skin and soft tissue infections in patients with solid tumours.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in cancer patients represent a diagnostic challenge, as etiologic diagnosis is often missing, and clinical assessment of severity is difficult. Few studies have described (SSTIs) in patients with solid tumours (STs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Records of patients with ST and SSTI, cared for at the University Hospital of Heraklion, from 2002 to 2006 were retrospectively studied. Results. A total of 81 episodes of SSTIs, occurring in 71 patients with ST, have been evaluated. Their median age was 65 years (34-82). The most common underlying malignancy was breast cancer in 17 patients (24%). Most episodes (89%) occurred in nonneutropenics. Cellulitis/erysipelas was the most common clinical presentation (56; 69%). Bacterial cultures were possible in 29 (36%) patients. All patients received antimicrobial therapy, while in 17 episodes (21%) an incision and drainage was required. Treatment failure occurred in 20 episodes (25%). Five patients (7%) died due to sepsis. None was neutropenic. Severe sepsis on admission (P = 0.002) and prior blood transfusion (P = 0.043) were independent predictors of treatment failure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SSTIs can be life threatening among patients with ST. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are of the utmost importance, since sepsis was proven a significant factor of unfavourable outcome.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71 110 Heraklion, Crete, Greece. kofterid@med.uoc.gr
authors.forename: Diamantis P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Kofteridis
authors.forename: Antonios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valachis
authors.forename: Eirini
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koutsounaki
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maraki
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mavrogeni
authors.forename: Foteini N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Economidou
authors.forename: Dimitra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dimopoulou
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kalbakis
authors.forename: Vassilis
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Georgoulias
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Samonis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000150:complications*