Advances in prevention and treatment of infectious complications in children and adolescents with cancer

Due to the high dose-intensity of most current treatment protocols, the growing number of marrow transplantations, the routine use of aggressive supportive care and certain pathogen-related problems, infections remain an important cause for morbidity and mortality in children and adolescents with cancer. Over the last decade, however, considerable progress has been made in diagnosis, prevention and treatment of infectious complications in the immunocompromised host. This article first delineates both clinical approach and current treatment strategies in the pediatric cancer patient presenting with neutropenia and fever of unknown origin. It then reviews diagnosis and treatment of the most common specific infections and concludes with a discussion of preventive measures in the setting of anticancer treatment.