Premium
The effect of irradiation upon the bacterial flora in patients with head and neck cancer
Author(s) -
Rice Dale H.,
Gill Gus
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-197911000-00018
Subject(s) - pharynx , flora (microbiology) , head and neck cancer , irradiation , head and neck , medicine , incidence (geometry) , cancer , oral cavity , radiation therapy , surgery , bacteria , biology , dentistry , genetics , physics , nuclear physics , optics
Twenty‐two consecutive patients with cancer of the head and neck, who were to receive a full tumoricidal dose of irradiation to a field that included the oral cavity and pharynx, were studied to determine the effect of the irradiation on their local bacterial flora. Aerobic cultures were taken prior to, at the completion of, and one month after the completion of their irradiation. The percentage of patients with potentially pathogenic organisms increased dramatically as the effect of the irradiation increased. This change in the local flora has obvious implications concerning the increased incidence of postoperative wound infections in patients who have received prior irradiation.