NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY: A STUDY AT THE NATIONAL RADIOTHERAPY ONCOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE CENTRE (NRONMC), KORLE BU.

ABSTRACT

Background: Cancer is one of the diseases with high mortality rates and economic burden in the world especially within sub-Saharan Africa. Cancer has both local and systemic effects on the body which can compromise the nutritional status of patients. Treatment of cancer especially chemotherapy has several side effects which are detrimental to the nutritional status of the individual and can lead to treatment interruptions or termination as well as compromise clinical outcomes.

Cancer patients are at a higher risk of malnutrition since both the disease and the treatment can affect the nutritional status of the patients negatively. In order to improve tolerance to treatment and better clinical outcomes, early identification of patients at risk of malnutrition is essential. This will ensure that appropriate interventions are put in place for uninterrupted treatment and best possible clinical outcome.

Aim: To conduct nutritional assessment using the Patient Generated-Subjective Global Assessment tool to identify malnutrition in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study design was used in this study. One hundred and twenty three (123) participants undergoing chemotherapy partook in the study within a two-month period. A structured questionnaire was used in assessing socio-demographic and medical history. The Patient Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) instrument which is a validated tool for nutritional assessment of cancer patients, was used to assess weight loss, food intake, nutrition impact symptoms and functional capacity. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20.0 was used to analyse the data obtained. Categorical variables were presented using frequency distribution tables, graphs and bar charts and continuous variables were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between

continuous variables. Analysis of variance was used to find the mean differences between the various cancer groups. Statistical significance was set as p