FREQUENCY RATE OF ORAL CANDIDIASIS AMONG PATIENTS ON ONCOLOGY MANAGEMENT AT KHARTOUM ISOTOPE AND RADIATION TEACHING HOSPITAL.

Background: Oropharyngeal candidiasis is one of the common manifestations seen in cancer patients on cytotoxic therapy and invasion into deeper tissues can occur if not treated promptly and little is known about the epidemiology of oral Candida colonization and infection in immunocompromised patients in developing countries. Thus this study was carried out to determine the frequency rate of oral candidiasis among patients on oncology management at Khartoum Isotope and Radiation Center. Method: A total of 168 cancer patients under treatment of chemotherapy and /or radiotherapy were taken as100 out-patients and 68 inpatients control group. Those were examined for oral candidiasis. For all patients, the clinical diagnosis had to be confirmed microbiologically by the presence of yeasts and / or hyphae or pseudohyphae on potassium hydroxide - treated smears of oral swabs. Oral samples were obtained and cultured on Sabouraud's dextrose agar. Result: Out of 69 Candida isolates, total colonization was prevalent in 46(66.7%) and oral candidiasis in 23(33.3.3%) of all cancer patients, representing 3(8.8%) and 20(57.1%) infection among out-patients and in-patients respectively. Candida albicans was significantly more common than nan ? candida albicans in both study group (76.5% vs 32.5%) and control group (68.5% vs. 31.4%). Amongst the cancer group, 147(87.5%) had solid organ malignancy, 21(12.5%) had hematological malignancy. High frequency of Candida isolates were detected among females, breast cancer, with chemotherapy treatment, among those who were from North Sudan and South Dar-for and among patients who belong to Al-gaalia tribe. Conclusion: Oral candidiasis is more common among cancer patients with considerable risk to hospitalized patients. Though Candida albicans was found as the most common species but non-albicans candida species are appearing as emerging pathogens as well.