ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: We surveyed the nutritional status of patients with colorectal cancer undergoing outpatient chemotherapy using the malnutrition universal screening tool(MUST)to examine its usefulness and association with adverse events. METHODS: We examined the use of the MUST and the incidences of adverse events in 34 patients with advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer who had undergone outpatient chemotherapy between April and December 2010. RESULTS: The high-risk patients requiring nutritional care intervention comprised 47. 1%(16 patients)of the study population, and these patients exhibited significant decreases in body weight and body mass index. The incidences of appetite loss and fatigue were significantly higher in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group. DISCUSSION: Precautions against adverse events may prevent a worsening of the nutritional status of patients with colorectal cancer. Thus, nutritional assessment is necessary in patients undergoing outpatient chemotherapy. Furthermore, the MUST appears to represent a very useful simplified nutritional screening method for the nutritional management for these patients.
