Weight loss and other nutritional problems are common in cancer patients. The problems are of importance for response to treatment and survival and the well-being of the patients. Nutritional support can be carried out in different ways. The efforts considered in this thesis are; assessment of nutritional status to find the patients who are at risk to become or already are malnourished, assessment of dietary intake, dietary advice, information and support to the families, information and education to the caregivers, and supplementation with drugs that possibly could influence the weight development. The Swedish version of the Patient Generated Subjective Global assessment of nutritional status, PG-SGA, is useful in assessment of nutritional status in cancer patients. Dietary advice and support to patients and their families combined with information and education to the staff, at the hospital and in the home care, turned out to have a positive influence at the weight development and other parameters related to nutrition…
Contents
INTRODUCTION
Cachexia
Energy expenditure and requirements in cancer patients
Nutritional status
Self-reported weight and height
Weight loss and quality of life
Weight loss and survival
Dietary assessment
Fish oil and melatonin, possible anti-cachectic drugs
AIMS
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Assessment methods
Assessment of dietary intake
Quality of life assessments
Performance status
Dietary advice
Commercial supplements
Statistical analyses
Study I
Study II
Study III
Study IV
Study V
RESULTS
Study I (Effects of nutritional support in patients with SCLC)
Study II (Characteristics of the PG-SGA for nutritional status)
Study III (Effects of nutritional support in GI cancer patients)
Study IV (Effects of weight loss on survival and quality of life)
Study V (Effects of fish oil, melatonin and dietary advice on cachexia)
DISCUSSION
The relation between weight loss and quality of life
The relation between weight loss and survival
Assessment of nutritional status
Assessment of the dietary intake
Dietary advice, “Consumed food is good food”
The role of commercial supplements
The relation between weight development and dietary intake
The food at home
The food at the hospital
Information and education to staff at the hospital and in home care
Weight development and the use of anti-cachectic drugs
Nutritional support and cancer treatment
CONCLUSIONS
ABBREVIATIONS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
REFERENCES
APPENDIX
Author: Persson, Christina
Source: Uppsala University Library
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