EFFECT OF SURGICAL AND CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT OF ONCOLOGICAL PATIENTS ON THE NASOPHARYNGEAL MICROBIOTA

Abstract

The article presents the results of a study conducted to assess the spread of bacterial secondary infections and their species spectrum among oncological patients undergoing treatment at the National Oncology Center (NOC). The study included 65 patients who underwent surgery for lung cancer and 100 patients receiving chemotherapy for malignant solid tumors. Bacteriological and mycological examinations of mucus and sputum samples collected from the patients' nasopharynx were performed. In both groups - patients who underwent lung cancer surgery and those receiving chemotherapy – gram-negative bacteria predominated, most of which were non-pathogenic infections. In patients with lung cancer, a statistically significant decrease (p=0.01) in the number of Gram-negative bacteria was observed postoperatively, with a 2.1-fold reduction compared to preoperative results, accompanied by a relative increase in fungal count. In contrast, in patients receiving chemotherapy, there was a 31.2% increase in the number of bacterial strains and a 2.5-fold increase in fungal count following chemotherapy. Among the bacteria identified in oncological patients, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus mutans were the most prevalent. Thus, chemotherapy in oncological patients leads to an increase in bacterial and fungal infections.