Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Department of Radiation Therapy and Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
Curr Oncol. 2023 Feb 23;30(3):2715-2728. doi: 10.3390/curroncol30030205.
Malnutrition is often underestimated in the context of cancer therapy: the dietary trends initiated by patients after diagnosis are usually neither known to nor evaluated by the medical staff. Here, we propose a combined screening instrument evaluating malnutrition and dietary trends.
The validated screening tool NRS-2002 was combined with a four-item questionnaire assessing whether (1) patients preferred certain foods, (2) avoided certain foods, (3) used dietary supplements or followed a special diet since the time of cancer diagnosis. The screening tool was routinely used by cancer patients in the daily practice of three oncological departments. The presented analysis was performed retrospectively and anonymized.
Overall, 102 cancer patients undergoing systemic therapy (CP), 97 undergoing radiation therapy (RP), and 36 head-neck cancer patients (HNP) were screened. The CP cohort showed a higher rate of malnutrition (50.00%) than the HNP (28.13%) or RP (26.80%) cohort. Overall, diet changes were observed in 33.63% of all patients. Avoiding meat, stimulants, or hard and edgy food was often mentioned in free text answers, while patients reported a preference for fruit and vegetables. Nutritional supplements were used by 28.76% of the patients. While dietary changes were common, only 6.64% of the patients mentioned adhering to a specific cancer diet.
Malnutrition is still underestimated nowadays. Diet trends, especially avoiding certain foods, are common in cancer patients, while adhering to a specific cancer diet is an exception. Diet trends should be assessed and addressed to avoid or aggravate malnutrition.
癌症治疗过程中常低估营养不良：患者诊断后通常会开始调整饮食，但医护人员往往既不知情也不评估。在此，我们提出一种联合筛查工具，用于评估营养不良和饮食趋势。
验证过的 NRS-2002 筛查工具与四项问卷相结合，用于评估患者：(1) 是否偏好某些食物；(2) 是否避免某些食物；(3) 自癌症诊断以来是否使用膳食补充剂或遵循特殊饮食。该筛查工具在三个肿瘤科室的日常实践中常规用于癌症患者。所呈现的分析为回顾性和匿名分析。
共有 102 名接受全身治疗的癌症患者（CP）、97 名接受放疗的患者（RP）和 36 名头颈部癌症患者（HNP）接受了筛查。CP 组的营养不良发生率（50.00%）高于 HNP（28.13%）或 RP（26.80%）组。总体而言，33.63%的患者饮食发生变化。在自由文本回答中，常提到避免肉类、兴奋剂或硬而锋利的食物，而患者则报告喜欢水果和蔬菜。28.76%的患者使用营养补充剂。虽然饮食变化很常见，但只有 6.64%的患者提到坚持特定的癌症饮食。
如今，营养不良仍被低估。癌症患者的饮食趋势，尤其是避免某些食物，很常见，而坚持特定的癌症饮食则是例外。应评估和处理饮食趋势，以避免或加重营养不良。
