Effects of nutritional support on quality of life in cancer patients

In our study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of nutritional support on the quality of life in cancer patients, to recognize and eliminate nutritional deficiency as soon as possible, and to establish an established system that will increase the life expectancy by increasing the quality of life. NRS 2002 nutritional status scale was applied to 459 patients who applied to Manisa Celal Bayar University Medical Oncology Department, Medical Oncology Outpatient Clinic, who were diagnosed with cancer and were receiving chemotherapy, and malnutrition was detected in 59 patients. Patients' age and gender, stage, primary disease, metastasis location and operation information were obtained. Within the scope of anthropometric measurements, height and weight and right and left mid-arm circumference information were recorded in all four applications. The EORTC QLQ-30 Quality of Life Scale was used to evaluate the quality of life of the patients, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to measure the levels of anxiety and depression. The presence and severity of malnutrition was determined with the NRS 2002 nutritional status scale based on height, weight and nutritional level in the subjects included in the study. "IBM SPSS Statistics 22.00" program was used to evaluate the data obtained in the study. Malnutrition was detected in 12% of the patients included in the study, and the study was conducted with the participation of a total of 59 volunteer patients, 35.6% (n = 21) female and 64.4% (n = 38) male. The mean age of the patients was found to be 57.93 ± 12.60 years. The rate of patients diagnosed with stage 4 cancer ranks first with 45.7%. It was determined that stomach cancer was the primary disease with 27.3%. However, mostly lymph node metastases were seen with 47.7%, and multiorgan involvement was found in 6.8% of the cases with metastasis. 71.2% of the patients were operated, 16.9% died. When the anthropometric measurements of the patients were compared, an increase was observed in the right left arm circumference measurement, BMI and body weights in women and men, and in the comparison of the double increase amount, generally significant increases were found between the baseline and the third controls. In CRP measurements, only the increase between the 1st and 2nd control measurements, and the decrease in albumin measurements only in the 1st and 3rd comparisons were found to be statistically significant. A statistically significant difference was found in the NRS 2002 scores of the patients in the adequacy of intake, protein and calorie needs, functional status, and symptom scale. The anxiety and depression scores of the patients gradually decreased in all controls, and the highest decrease was found after the third control. Statistically, a significant decrease in the state of anxiety was observed in the initial, 1. and 2. control and 3. control comparisons. In the evaluation of the depression status, a statistically significant decrease was observed as a result of the comparison of the baseline and second control measures and the third control measures. As a result of all these data, malnutrition; quality of life, anxiety level, treatment process, cancer stage, hospital stay period, chemotherapy tolerance and so on. It affects many situations negatively. While elderly patients are currently inadequate and dependent to meet basic needs such as activity and nutrition, the burden and treatment side effects of the disease negatively affect nutrition. In addition, catabolic conditions may develop due to malnutrition. Taking measures for the symptoms of the patients during their controls, evaluating the risk of malnutrition and providing nutritional support increases the quality of life.