BACKGROUNDDeep fungal infection is one of the important complications and causes of death in late stage patients with lung cancer, to explore and analyze the pathogen of deep fungal infection is helpful to early diagnose and treat deep fungal infection in patients with lung cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate the changes and pathogenicity of the main pathogen of deep fungal infection in patients with lung cancer.

METHODSTotal DNA per cell, proliferation index (PI) and cell cycle of the main pathogen of deep fungal infection were analyzed in patients with lung cancer by FCM.

RESULTSHistograms of stationary-growth-phase Candida albicans isolates demonstrated that the majority of population of the fungus were at the G0/G1 phase of cell cycle. There was no significant difference in cell proportion of G0/G1, G2/M phases and the total DNA content per cell of strains between the lung cancer and normal control groups. The cell proportion of S phase and PI in lung cancer group were remarkably higher than those in control group (P=0.040, P=0.038).

CONCLUSIONSThe cell proportion at DNA composition phase of the main pathogen-Candida albicans significantly increases, the proliferation activity gets strengthened and the pathogenicity changes in deep fungal infection of patients with lung cancer.