Abstract:
Objective To investigate the nutritional status of patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and its relationship with prognosis.
Methods From August 2015 to March 2018, 53 patients with locally advanced NPC hospitalized for treatment at the Department of Radiotherapy at Hubei Cancer Hospital, Wuhan, China, were enrolled in this study. The patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA), anthropometry measurements, hematological indexes, and side-effects of radiation and chemotherapy were used to evaluate the nutritional status. Survival and its influencing factors were further analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier estimator and a Cox proportional hazards regression model.
Results 94.3% of the locally advanced NPC patients lost weight. The average weight loss was 6.89 ±0.54 kg. Of those NPC patients who lost weight, 50.94% had more than 10% weight loss. According to the PG-SGA score, 84.9% of the NPC patients had severe malnutrition (PG-SGA ≥ 9). A highly negative correlation was observed among lymphocyte count (TLC), red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb) level, albumin (ALB) level, and PG-SGA scores (all P < 0.05). A highly positive correlation was observed among oral mucositis, difficulty swallowing or pain, anorexia, rate of weight loss, and PG-SGA scores (all P < 0.05). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that a high TNM stage and more than 10% weight loss during treatment were associated with an unfavorable prognosis. A high level of white blood cells (WBC), within the normal range, was associated with a better survival rate (All P < 0.05).
Conclusions Patients with locally advanced NPC had a high incidence of malnutrition in this study. PG-SGA combined with anthropometry measurements, hematological indexes, and side-effects of radiation and chemotherapy can help evaluate the nutritional status of patients with NPC more comprehensively. A high TNM stage, more than 10% weight loss during treatment, and high WBC counts were independently associated with prognosis and survival among patients with locally advanced NPC.