Malnutrition assessment in patients with cancers of the head and neck: a call to action and consensus.

PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

A state of the science review to assess how nutritional status and malnutrition are defined by the community of researchers studying head & neck cancer (HNC) patients.

PRINCIPAL RESULTS

In 117 publications, nutritional status was described diversely, ranging from merely one to all six of the following features: weight loss, body composition, quantity/type of food intake, symptoms impacting oral intake, inflammation and altered metabolism. Methods of assessment of each feature were inconsistent. Cancer- and treatment-related symptoms impacting oral intake were a prominent theme. Metabolic changes potentially related to weight loss and efficacy of nutritional therapy were rarely described (<15% of articles). There were 24 different explicit definitions for malnutrition.

CONCLUSION

Consensus is needed regarding the criteria to adequately describe HNC-associated malnutrition. Standardization of assessments will permit aggregation of data, and integration into clinical practice-specifically, development of consensus criteria for implementation and termination of nutrition therapies.