Estado nutricional e consumo alimentar de pacientes em tratamento de câncer

Cancer is a disease that causes, annually, 8 million deaths worldwide. The treatment and the disease itself have several adverse effects, which can considerably influence the nutritional status and food intake of the patient. Metabolic, morphological and functional alterations can make the oncologic patient more susceptible to the onset of malnutrition. The assessment of nutritional status and dietary intake are essential for an improvement in the clinical condition of the oncologic patient. The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional status and dietary intake of cancer patients treated at a private clinic at the Federal District. Methods: This was across-sectional descriptive study, carried out at the center of Cancer of Brasília (Cettro), from March to May 2019. The sample consisted of 45 patients diagnosed with cancer, adults and elderly of both sexes, aged 20 years or more, on oncological treatment independent of cancer type. Data were collected from the nutritional assessment carried out by the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and body mass index (BMI), an adapted questionnaire for food consumption, from the Brazilian Department of Health, and from consultation to patients’ records. Thestatistical analysis was performed descriptively by means of percentage and frequencies. Results: Malnutrition and the need for nutritional intervention were found in 49% of the oncologic patients by the PG-SGA. Inadequacy was observed regarding the food intake of these patients, especially in relation to fruits, milk and dairy products and meats. Conclusion: The results indicate that the analyzed patients presented some degree of malnutrition and inadequate food intake, thus requiring nutritional monitoring and intervention to improve their prognosis.