Usefulness of Smartphone Application for Improving Nutritional Status of Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Usefulness of Smartphone Application for Improving Nutritional Status of Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Malnutrition of hospitalized patients is reported in the range of 20-60% according to the definition and assessment method of malnutrition.

In particular, the incidence of malnutrition in cancer patients is high up to 30-85%.

Gastrointestinal disease is related to the digestion and absorption of nutrition therefore malnutrition rate of those patients is relatively high. Careful management of nutrition support is needed.

Malnutrition causes dysfunction of the mesenteric membrane, immune function impairment, decreased function of major organs such as liver, kidney and heart and alteration in pharmacodynamics. It could also increase infection rate and complications of chemotherapy, delay recovery time, so that increase morbidity, mortality and length of hospital stay.

Proper nutrition management reduces malnutrition prevalence and medical costs of hospitalized patient, therefore nutrition screening and evaluation is necessary. The recent spread of smartphones has made it easier to record and evaluate meals, which are used in the diet market for weight loss through meal records and feedback based on smartphone applications. This approach is also expected to benefit patients with gastrointestinal cancer, where proper nutrition and feedback are important. In particular, pancreatic cancer, the worst intractable cancer of mankind, is digestive cancer with the most severe muscle mass reduction and nutritional deterioration after diagnosis.

Inclusion Criteria:

1) Among patients with pancreatic cancer who visited Severance Hospital of Yonsei University

1. Patients who received the explanation from the investigator and agreed to the written consent of the subject
2. Men or Women aged 20 to 70

2) First diagnosed with pancreatic cancer within 3 months 3) Patients scheduled to undergo first-line chemotherapy after the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Those who have or had a history of abdominal surgery within the past 1 year
2. Those who have an acute illness (pneumonia, sepsis, shock, etc.) and have an infection at the time of registration
3. chronic liver disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
4. Patients with nutrient absorption disorder due to gastrointestinal mucosal diseases (ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, acute and chronic diarrhea, etc.)
5. Severe disease patients (heart failure, liver failure, kidney failure and hemodialysis, etc.)
6. Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding
7. Those who have used steroids within the last one month
8. Patients diagnosed of peritoneal seeding or suspected GI obstructive sign
9. Those who are already taking nutritional supplements