Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7030 Trondheim, Norway.
Cancer Clinic, St. Olavs Hospital-Trondheim University Hospital, 7030 Trondheim, Norway.
Curr Oncol. 2024 Oct 10;31(10):6061-6072. doi: 10.3390/curroncol31100452.
Appetite loss is prevalent in patients with advanced cancer and negatively affects their quality of life. However, understanding of the factors associated with appetite loss is limited. The current study aims to explore characteristics and therapeutic interventions used for patients with and without appetite loss admitted to an acute palliative care unit. Patient characteristics and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), using the 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS 0-10), were registered. Descriptive statistics, independent samples T-tests and chi-square tests were utilized for data analysis. Of the 167 patients included in the analysis, 62% (104) had moderate to severe appetite loss at admission, whereof 63% (66) improved their appetite during their hospital stay. At admission, there was a significant association between appetite loss and having gastrointestinal cancer, living alone, poor performance status and withdrawn anticancer treatment. Patients with appetite loss also experienced more nausea, depression, fatigue, dyspnea and anxiety. In patients with improved appetite during hospitalization, mean decrease in NRS was 3.4 (standard error (SE) 0.27). Additionally, patients living alone were more likely to improve their appetite. Appetite improvement frequently coincided with alleviation of fatigue. Understanding these associations may help in developing better interventions for managing appetite loss in patients with advanced cancer.
食欲减退在晚期癌症患者中很常见，会对他们的生活质量产生负面影响。然而，人们对导致食欲减退的因素的了解有限。本研究旨在探讨入住急性姑息治疗病房的有和无食欲减退患者的特征和治疗干预措施。记录了患者特征和患者报告的结局测量（使用 11 点数字评分量表（NRS 0-10））。数据分析采用描述性统计、独立样本 T 检验和卡方检验。在纳入分析的 167 名患者中，62%（104 名）入院时存在中重度食欲减退，其中 63%（66 名）在住院期间食欲有所改善。入院时，食欲减退与患有胃肠道癌症、独居、较差的表现状态和停止抗癌治疗之间存在显著关联。有食欲减退的患者还经历了更多的恶心、抑郁、疲劳、呼吸困难和焦虑。在住院期间食欲改善的患者中，NRS 的平均下降幅度为 3.4（标准误差（SE）为 0.27）。此外，独居的患者更有可能改善他们的食欲。食欲改善通常与疲劳缓解同时发生。了解这些关联可能有助于为管理晚期癌症患者的食欲减退开发更好的干预措施。
