Relationships among Malnutrition, Depression and Quality of Life in Patients with Gynecologic Cancer receiving Chemotherapy

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify nutritional status, and relationships among malnutrition, depression and quality of life in patients with gynecologic cancer who were receiving chemotherapy. METHODS: For this study a descriptive cross-sectional design was used. Participants were 111 women who were enrolled and agreed to undergo a face-to-face interviews including administration of the structured questionnaires Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G). RESULTS: Mean body mass index was 23.3 and mean body weight was 56.5 kg. Sixty-three (57%) of the 111 patients were malnourished according to the PG-SGA. The malnourished patients showed higher levels of depression and lower quality of life compared to the non-malnourished patients. In addition, malnutrition was associated with BMI level, depression, appetite and quality of life. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that the prevalence of malnutrition is high and malnutrition in patients with gynecologic cancer influences depression and adversely affects the quality of life of these women. To improve the patient's quality of life, nutritional assessment and appropriate management is important to decrease malnutrition in patients with gynecologic cancer.