Nutritional Status of Cancer Patients: A Unicenteric Report from Iran

Farnaz Roshanmehr; Masaharu Kagawa; Farzad  Taghizadeh-Hesary; Ali  Milani-Bonab; Arezoo  Haghighian Roudsari

doi:10.18502/jnfs.v7i1.8530

Farnaz Roshanmehr School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.
Masaharu Kagawa Institute of Nutrition Sciences, Kagawa Nutrition University, Saitama, Japan.
Farzad Taghizadeh-Hesary Department of Clinical Oncology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Ali Milani-Bonab Food and Nutrition Policy and Planning Research Department, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Arezoo Haghighian Roudsari Food and Nutrition Policy and Planning Research Department, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jnfs.v7i1.8530

Keywords: Malnutrition; Cancer; Patient-generated subjective global assessment

Abstract

Background: Considering the incidence of malnutrition, a multidisciplinary approach with targeted nutrition is vital to improve the quality of care in cancer patients. This study aimed to investigate the overall nutritional status of Iranian cancer patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study in 70 cancer patients was conducted in Shohada-e Tajrish Hospital from February to April 2019. The cancer patients were assessed by demographics and Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) utilized as a common tool to evaluate the nutritional status of patients with different types of cancer. Results: Overall, 20.0% and 70.0% of the patients had normal body mass index (BMI) and overweight/obese, respectively. Moreover, 30.0% and 60.0% of the participants reported poor and normal intake, respectively. Males were more affected by malnutrition. Approximately 8.0% of the participants lost more than 10.0% of their weight; however, a vast majority of the patients maintained their weight. Conclusion: The high prevalence of malnutrition among the studied cancer patients demonstrated the necessity of nutritional care to improve possible malnutrition for better treatment results.