Prevalence of malnutrition / malnutrition risk in cancer patients: experince of an oncology outpatient clinic in Turkey

Introduction: The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of malnutrition risk (MR)/malnutrition (MN) in cancer patients using MNA. Methods: This observational study was conducted with cancer patients in the Izmir Katip Celebi University Ataturk Training and Research Hospital Medical Oncology Outpatient Clinic. Demographic data, daily functional status according to the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), nutritional status according to Mini Nutrition Assessments (MNA) and anthropometric measurements obtained with TANITA Body Composition Analyzer Model TBF-300 (TANITA) were used in the evaluation of patients. Results: The study enrolled 296 oncology patients. The mean age was 58.34 ± 11.60 years. Two hundred and eight (70.3%) of the patients were women. The most common three tumor types were breast tumors (43.2%; n=128); gastrointestinal tract tumors (33.1%; n=98), genitourinary tract tumors (10.8%: n=32). The mean BMI of the patients was 27.45 ± 5.75 m2/kg. According to MNA 118 of the patients were in normal nutritional status (39.9%). 130 of them were at the risk of malnutrition (43.9%), 48 of them were malnourished (16.2%). Conclusion: In cancer patients, the prevalence of malnutrition and malnutrition risk is significantly high, and this may alter the patient’s life quality and expectancy. Therefore, the nutritional status of every patient that is diagnosed with cancer should be assessed in early stages of the disease