Effectiveness of Nutritional Interventions for Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Effectiveness of Nutritional Interventions for Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

This study aims to estimate the effects of nutritional interventions on the improvement of nutritional status and quality of life (QoL) among gastrointestinal patients in Vietnam

A quasi-experiment with intervention and control groups for pre- and post-intervention assessment was carried out at the Department of Oncology and Palliative Care - Medical University Hospital from 2016 to 2019. 60 gastrointestinal cancer patients were recruited in each group. At stage 1, we selected patients of the intervention group who met the inclusion criteria to receive nutritional counseling and diet at the hospital. At stage 2, we chose patients who were eligible but did not accept the nutritional counseling and diet at the hospital. Participants in both groups were paired together according to the following criteria: 1) Age group: <40 years old, 40-65 years old and >65 years old; 2) Gender: Male and female; 3) Types of cancer: stomach cancer and colon cancer; 4) Disease stages: stage 1-2 and stage 3-4.

Inclusion Criteria:

• aged 18 years old or above
• diagnosed with stomach or colon cancer;
• at the initial of receiving chemotherapy treatment;
• indicated for oral feeding;
• not having co-morbidities of chronic diseases such as kidney failure, heart failure, liver failure, diabetes;
• having ability to communicate with data collectors and both attending doctors and agreeing to involve in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• treated by other methods such as radiation, endocrine, immunity;
• undergoing terminal palliative care;
• having contraindications to oral feeding/enteral nutrition