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Intensive nutritional counseling improves PG-SGA scores and nutritional symptoms during and after radiotherapy in Korean cancer patients

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Abstract

Purpose

This study was conducted for the nutritional assessment of cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT) and to investigate the changes in nutrition status, oral intake, morbidity and quality of life (QOL) in cancer patients after intensive nutrition counseling.

Methods

Eighty-seven cancer patients were randomized to either a nutrition counseling group (n = 44, age 58.0 ± 2.2 years) or a control group (n = 43, 62.0 ± 1.8 years). Nutrition counseling accompanied RT, and the subjects received at least three sessions of individualized dietary counseling over the duration of RT. Assessment parameters were nutritional intake (24-h recall method), nutritional status Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), QOL and blood parameters including albumin. All parameters were measured at baseline, at the end of RT, and 1 month after the termination of RT.

Results

Body weight, body mass index (BMI), and energy and protein intake for the intervention and control groups did not differ significantly between baseline and the end of RT. However, at 1 month follow-up, protein intake was significantly decreased in the control group (p < 0.05). Blood albumin, total protein (TP), total lymphocyte count (TLC) were not different between the two groups. According to PG-SGA stage, at 1 month follow-up, patients in the intervention group showed increased number of patients with stage A status (well nourished). In addition, insomnia and nausea was significantly improved in the intervention group assessed by QOL.

Conclusion

We suggest that repetitive and intensive nutritional counseling is necessary to improve QOL and to prevent deterioration of nutritional status in cancer patients receiving RT.

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Conflict of interests

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Nutrition, Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, 446-791, South Korea

    Mi Hyang Um, Mi Youn Choi & Yoo Kyoung Park

  2. Department of Nutritional Service, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 135-720, South Korea

    Song Mi Lee

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 135-720, South Korea

    Ik Jae Lee

  4. Department of Radiation Oncology, Yonsei Cancer Center, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, 135-720, South Korea

    Chang Geol Lee

  5. Research Institute of Medical Nutrition, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 120-752, South Korea

    Yoo Kyoung Park

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  1. Mi Hyang Um
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  2. Mi Youn Choi
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  3. Song Mi Lee
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Correspondence to Yoo Kyoung Park.

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Um, M.H., Choi, M.Y., Lee, S.M. et al. Intensive nutritional counseling improves PG-SGA scores and nutritional symptoms during and after radiotherapy in Korean cancer patients. Support Care Cancer 22, 2997–3005 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-014-2304-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-014-2304-2

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