Pneumocystis Jirovecii Pneumonia (PCP) in Children with Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis from the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) Database, 2004-2009

Background: Pneumocystis jiroveciipneumonia (PCP) is an opportunistic fungal infection that can develop in the setting of deficient cell-mediated immunity. Children with hematologic malignancies and children undergoing immunosuppressive treatment for other types of cancer are at risk of developing PCP. However, the epidemiology of PCP in children with cancer is not well described. We sought to determine the prevalence of PCP in hospitalized children with cancer in the U.S. and to identify risk factors for PCP in this population.