Infections encountered in the
cancer setting may arise from intensive
cancer treatments or may result from the
cancer itself, leading to risk of
infections through immune compromise, disruption of anatomic barriers, and exposure to nosocomial (hospital-acquired) pathogens. Consequently,
cancer-related
infections are unique and epidemiologically distinct from those in other patient populations and may be particularly challenging for clinicians to treat. There is increasing evidence that the microbiome is a crucial factor in the
cancer patient's risk for infectious complications. Frequently encountered pathogens with observed ties to the microbiome include
vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, Enterobacteriaceae, and Clostridium difficile; these organisms can exist in the human body without disease under normal circumstances, but all can arise as
infections when the microbiome is disrupted. In the
cancer patient, such disruptions may result from interventions such as
chemotherapy, broad-spectrum
antibiotics, or anatomic alteration through surgery. In this review, we discuss evidence of the significant role of the microbiome in
cancer-related
infections; how a better understanding of the role of the microbiome can facilitate our understanding of these complications; and how this knowledge might be exploited to improve outcomes in
cancer patients and reduce risk of
infection.