ABSTRACT
A survey of nutrient and food oral intake was undertaken to clarify problems in nourishment support of chemotherapy outpatients with cancer diseases. The ingestion frequency survey (Food Frequency Questionnaire Based on Food Groups: FFQg) of nutrient and food intake was carried out in 54 patients, after chemotherapy at an outpatient clinic in Hyogo Prefectural Nishinomiya Hospital during three weeks from June 25,2007 to July 13,2007. Among them, 50 patients (92.6%) reported a valid response (14 breast, 13 colon, 6 stomach, 9 pancreas, and 8 other cancers). Body mass index (BMI; kg/m2, mean +/-SD) grouped by the type of the cancer was 22.3+/-3.1 in breast, 21.3+/-2.6 in colon, 17.9+/-2.0 stomach, 18.0+/-1.2 in pancreas and 22.6+/-1.8 in other cancers. BMIs in stomach or pancreas cancer patients were significantly low compared to those in patients with breast, colon, or other cancers. Each group's caloric intake per standard weight (kcal: mean+/-SD) was 31.4+/-5.3 in breast, 27.7+/-5.6 in colon, 34.2+/-10.3 in stomach, 29.1+/-5.0 in pancreas, and 26.8+/-6.4 in other cancers. No significant differences were recognized among them. In conclusion, oral intake in chemotherapy outpatients was secured from the result for each type of cancer; however, BMI was low in outpatients with stomach or pancreas cancer in spite of ingestion of food enough to maintain standard weight.
