ABSTRACT
Background: Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy have a high risk of malnutrition secondary to the disease and treatment, and majority of cancer patients suffer from different degrees of malnutrition, depending on tumour subtype, location, staging and treatment strategy. Early nutritional assessment can identify problems to help patients increase or maintain weight, improve their response to treatment, and reduce complications. This study aimed to determine the nutritional status of patients receiving chemotherapy. Methods: A prospective study was conducted among 447 subjects diagnosed with cancer of various sites and scheduled for three cycles of induction or adjuvant chemotherapy. Nutritional status of each subject was assessed based on nutritional parameters i.e. Anthropometric [BMI, MAMC, TSF, and MAC] and Biochemical [(Haemoglobin, Serum electrolytes and Albumin)] measurements before the initiation of chemotherapy, and follow-up assessment was performed on the completion of third cycle of chemotherapy. Results: In this study it has been found that 95% of subjects suffered from weight loss post chemotherapy. The't' test showed a significant decrease in TSF [t=4.8(p<0.01)], MAC [t=5.94 (p<0.01)] and MAMC, t=5.34(p<0.01) before and after 3 cycles of chemotherapy. Conclusion:The nutritional status assessment must be carried out on each patient at the beginning and during the treatment. The cancer patients are at high risk of malnutrition and associated comorbidities. K