Staph Infection in the Blood - Impact on prognosis - 1264301

ppg2014
Posts:2

Hello,

My Mom, 72, was diagnosed with Non-small cell stage 3b a little over 3 weeks ago. They got her started on Chemo and Radiation 6 days ago and 3 days into it one of her lymph nodes became infected and she was admitted to the hospital and put in the ICU. The initial though was it was an infection in the incision site from her original biopsy. Turns out it was an infect in a lymph node. The infection spread to her blood within 24 hours and was diagnosed as a Staph infection. They stopped all chemo and radiation treatments and are focused on getting this infection under control. They have surgically cleaned her chest infection and change her sponges out and drainage tube out every few days and her vitals are stable.

My dad hasn't let me speak directly to her doctors and isn't giving me much info about what all this means to her long term prognosis. I have no idea if this is a serious concern, something to worry about, something to not worry about or what it all means in the short and long term.

I have found very little about the impact of a staph infection in the blood on lung cancer treatment and the prognosis. Any insights as to what this means for her would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thank you

ppg2014

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Reply # - June 9, 2014, 05:15 PM

JimC
Posts: 2753

Hi ppg2014,

Welcome to GRACE. I'm sorry about your Mom's NSCLC diagnosis and staph infection. On its own, a staph infection can be very serious, which explains why it has become the priority for her doctors. Cancer patients tend to have weakened immune systems, a factor which can lead to the development of a staph infection. Regarding staph infections in cancer patients, Dr. West has said:

"There may be a few patients with cancer who are so immunocompromised that they can't clear infections, but that's the exception and definitely not the rule. If a specialist in infectious disease isn't already involved, a consultation with an ID doc could certainly help as well." - http://cancergrace.org/forums/index.php?topic=10192.msg81336#msg81336

In addition to the problems directly caused by the staph infection, any kind of infection makes it inadvisable to continue chemotherapy, which can lower blood counts, weakening the body's ability to fight that infection. Though her doctors had no choice but to halt her chemo and radiation, it does mean that she is not receiving the cancer treatment she needs.

I hope the infection can be cleared soon and your Mom can resume her cancer treatments.

JimC
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Reply # - June 9, 2014, 08:47 PM

Dr West
Posts: 4735

Yes, it's likely to be a reversible problem, though serious. Probably the bigger issue is the delay in treatment of the cancer, which is a challenge, but it is still almost certainly the right thing to do in this setting.

Good luck.

-Dr. West

Reply # - June 11, 2014, 04:04 PM

ppg2014
Posts: 2

Thank you both for your feedback! I know there is no guide as to how this will play out in the long run, but any info that will let me know what to expect is much appreciated.

There is a lot of unknown ahead, but a lot of hope as well.

I search the internet for info about how much time I might have left with her, and those numbers are terrible and give me a lot of anxiety about what is ahead. Then these complications like a staph infection pop up and add to my anxiety... I never know if I should just get on an airplane and go see her or wait until it is more serious. Talking about this has made me realize how flawed that thought is - and that I just need to go see her no matter what. That I shouldn't wait until a crisis to spend time with her. That I need to make the most of the time we have and ESPECiALLY while she is not in the midst of a crisis.

Thanks so much!!

ppg2014

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