Infection Management in Patients Treated with Breast Brachytherapy

摘要

Prevention or treatment of infection is an important aspect in the management of patients treated with catheter based brachytherapy. There is little in the published data to serve as a guide. In our practice prophylactic oral antibiotics are only utilized when there is a high risk of infection such as with multiple reinsertions. At the earliest sign of potential infection patients are typically placed on an antibiotic that provides good coverage of streptococcal and staphylococcal species. Infection rates are likely to be lower with meticulous care of the catheters during treatment and placement of catheters post operatively rather than at the time of lumpectomy. Some practitioners advocate for routine prophylaxis yet it remains unclear whether or not the infection rates with breast brachytherapy are high enough to warrant prophylactic antibiotics in all patients and, if so, whether prophylaxis is efficacious in reducing the rate of brachytherapy-related infection.