Risk factors for surgical site infections are different in patients with cutaneous T cell lymphoma and melanoma

Abstract

Introduction and objectives: Surgical site infections (SSI) are a major cause of prolonged morbidity in dermato-surgical patients. Therefore, identification and minimization of risk factors for developing SSI are essential in order to reduce SSI rates. So far, many general SSI risk factors have been published, especially for patients with epithelial tumors and Mohs surgery. Nevertheless, there is very sparse information for patients with cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL), who are often immune-compromised by the disease burden or CTCL therapy. Therefore, our study addresses SSI rates and risk factors in CTCL patients with a special focus on immunomodulatory interferon therapy compared to a melanoma control group.