Nutritional Assessment in Gastric Carcinoma

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Protein and energy malnutrition are common in patients with stomach cancer. Nutritional assessment is of great importance because undernutrition has been shown to be associated with increase morbidity and mortality in stomach cancer. METHODS: The study subject were 88 patients with stomach cancer admitted at Kosin university Gospel Hospital General Surgery Department during August 2001 to December. We assessed the initial nutrition status by anthropometric, biochemical and dietary intake data along with subjective global assessment (SGA) and stomach cancer stage. RESULTS: The mean body index was under weight, body fat mass and body protein mass were decreased with increase cancer stage. The biochemical data of albumin, cholesterol, triglyceride, Zn, transferrin, total lymphocyte count were decrease with increase cancer stage. Daily energy intake was 1997.8 kcal, energy, cabohyderate and VitB 1 was decrease with cancer stage. The patient were divided into three groups according to SGA. The three groups showed a significant difference in body weight, 1 month weight loss %, 6 month weight loss %, body mass index, mid arm circumference, albumin, energy intake, as well as carbohyderate intake CONCLUSION: The author concluded that nutritional assessment should be done in cancer patients preoperatively and that with adequate nutritional support, the morbidity and mortality would be decreased. Our data show that SGA is a clinically adequate method for assessing nutritional status.