URINARY-TRACT INFECTION IN PATIENTS OF GYNECOLOGICAL MALIGNANCIES UNDERGOING EXTERNAL PELVIC RADIOTHERAPY

A total of 216 midstream urine (MSU) samples from 36 patients with gyn ecological malignancies undergoing external pelvic radiotherapy (RT) w ere studied periodically every week for any evidence of urinary tract infection (UTI). UTI was detected in 33.3% patients of whom 8.3% had i nfection at the onset of RT and the rest developed UTI during the cour se of therapy. All three patients who had UTI at the onset of RT under went cystoscopy as a part of routine pretreatment workup. A higher pre ponderance of UTI was observed in patients of stage III carcinoma ceni x (33.3%) compared to stage II (16.7%) during the course of RT. Half o f the patients with UTI had repeated episodes of infection despite app ropriate antibiotic treatment. The study emphasizes the importance of conducting periodic MSU examination in patients with gynecological mal ignancies during RT and its treatment with appropriate antibiotics to minimize the risks of further injury to the already susceptible uroepi thelium following radiotherapy. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.