Abstract

• Malnutrition is a common problem in cancer patients. In addition anticancer drugs used in chemotherapy as a major therapeutic mode are famous as the side effect like nausea, vomiting, which lead the patients to malnourished state. This study was to determine the relationship of anorexia, nausea, vomiting and oral intake and identify the influence these side effects on the nutritional status in patients receiving chemotherapy. To assess the nutritional status, anthropometry such as weight, height, body mass index(BMI), body fat proportion, and triceps skinfold thickness, and biochemistry test such as hemoglobin and lymphocyte were measured at the pre- and post- chemotherapy and the readmission time, all three times. During chemotherapy, anorexia, nausea, and vomiting using a VAS or 5-point scale and 24 hour oral intake using a food record were measured daily. Forty-nine patients knowing their diagnosis and receiving chemotherapy were recruited from an oncological ward in a general hospital for 5 months and they were reduced 31 at readmission time for a next chemotherapy. The results were as follows. Most subjects (93.6%) were in the 4th stage of cancer and 57.1% of subjects were in the first or the second chemotherapy. In most subjects(82.6%), their weight was decreased 10.7% than as usual. The degree of anorexia, nausea, and vomiting was significantly higher and the amount of oral intake was significantly less during the chemotherapy than at the pre-chemotherapy. Weight, BMI, triceps skinfold were reduced more at the post- chemotherapy than the pre-chemotherapy and were recovered the nearly same but less level at the readmission time. Body fat proportion was increased at the post chemotherapy and then decreased at the readmission phase. Hemoglobin and the number of lymphocyte were below normal at the pre-chemotherapy and more reduced at the readmission time. Anorexia, nausea, and vomiting were related positively and oral intake was negatively related with nausea and vomiting. The nutritional status at the post- chemotherapy and the readmission time was explained 20% over by the side effect like anorexia, nausea, vomiting and oral intake during the chemotherapy. The significant nutrition predictors at the post- chemotherapy were vomiting and the significant predictors at the readmission time were anorexia, vomiting, and oral intake. These results indicated the patients receiving chemotherapy were continued to deteriorate the nutritional status. Therefore nurse should have knowledge how much the nutritional status can be affected and assess the nutritional status periodically and try to find out the intervention for side effects from the series of chemotherapies.
• Keywords: Chemotherapy; Nausea/vomiting; Anorexia; Nutritional status

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