Minireviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. May 26, 2023; 11(15): 3418-3433
Published online May 26, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i15.3418
Clinical infections in neurosurgical oncology: An overview
Tomaz Velnar, Nina Kocivnik, Roman Bosnjak
Tomaz Velnar, Roman Bosnjak, Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
Tomaz Velnar, Alma Mater Europaea - ECM Maribor, Maribor 2000, Slovenia
Nina Kocivnik, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
Author contributions: Velnar T and Kocivnik N drafted the manuscript, participated in the design of the study and were involved with data collection; Velnar T and Bosnjak R participated in design and oversight of the study; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) licence, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and licence their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Tomaz Velnar, MD, PhD, Professor, Surgeon, Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Zaloska 7, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia. tvelnar@hotmail.com
Received: January 21, 2023
Peer-review started: January 21, 2023
First decision: January 31, 2023
Revised: March 5, 2023
Accepted: April 13, 2023
Article in press: April 13, 2023
Published online: May 26, 2023
Processing time: 124 Days and 0.4 Hours
Abstract

Central nervous system (CNS) infections are urgent conditions with high morbidity and mortality. Bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi can cause them. Intracranial infections after craniotomies are an important complication of treatment, especially in oncological patients that are already immunologically compromised due to the disease and treatment. The consequence of CNS infections in oncological patients includes longer treatment with antibiotics, additional surgical procedures, higher treatment costs and poorer treatment outcomes. Additionally, the management of primary pathology may be prolonged or postponed as a result of the active infection. By introducing new and improved protocols, tightening controls on their implementation, constantly educating the entire team involved in patient treatment and educating both patients and relatives, the incidence of infections can be reduced effectively.

Keywords: Infection; Central nervous system; Neurosurgery; Oncology

Core Tip: Various agents, including bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, can cause infections of the central nervous system. As urgent conditions with high morbidity and mortality, they need to be recognised promptly and treated aggressively. By introducing improved defence and treatment protocols, tightening controls on their implementation, constantly educating the entire team involved in patient care and educating patients and relatives, the incidence of infections can be reduced significantly.