Clinicopathological and etiological characteristics for urinary tract infections in cervical cancer patients with radical surgery with ureteral stents indwelling

Abstract Background: To investigate the clinicopathological and etiological characteristics for urinary tract infections in cervical cancer radical surgery with indwelling ureteral stents. Methods: A total of 24 patients received cervical cancer radical surgery and retained ureteral stents in Shanghai General Hospital from July 2018 to December 2022 were recruited, the medical data were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results: Total 15 patients complicated with urinary tract infections, with the infection rate reaching up to 62.5%. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy might be the risk factor for urinary tract infections, although with no significant statistic difference (P = 0.074). A total of 30 strains of pathogens were isolated, with Escherichia coli ranking the most common pathogen. Two strains of CRE were identified. 70.83% patients were inserted ureteral stents for 3 to 12 months. With the placement time of ureteral stents exceeding 2 months, antibiotics sensitivity against the same pathogen decreased. Fungi infection occurred more frequently when placement time of ureteral stents reaching more than 4 months. Conclusions: Ureteral tract infections were extremely high in LACC with radical surgery with ureteral stents insertion. The Escherichia coli are relatively resistant to Penicillins and Cephalosporins. With the prolongation of ureteral stents placement, antibiotics sensitivity targeting the same pathogen decreased and the pathogenic microbes changed from bacteria into fungi. This study could provide basis for determining appropriate time to remove or replace ureteral stents and selecting effective antibiotics for urinary tract infections during ureteral stents indwelling, to prevent severe infections and reduce disease burden.