Oral carriage of candida spp. In cancer patients in babylon province

الملخص EN

Hundred oral swabs from cancer patients were investigated for oral carriage rate of Candida species in outpatient's clinic of oncology in Babylon province from January to May 2005.

Seventy of them were females and thirty were males, their ages ranged from 6-90 years.

53 (53%) of them revealed positive results, 51 (96.22%) were C.albicans and 2 (3.78%) were C.tropicalis.

Eighty nine of those cancer patients were on antibiotic and oral steroid therapy in whom thirty six of them raveled positive results.

Relatively high percentage 9 (18%) was found in breast cancer and 7 (16%), 3 (15%) for patients with cancer of genital organs and gastrointestinal tract respectively.

The last one 2 (3%) was observed in cancer of skin, also it was found high oral carriage (46%) in patients with oral thrush in relation to oral ulceration (44%).