Abstract

There is a high risk of malnutrition among cancer patients receiving chemotherapy secondary to the disease and treatment. The vast majority of cancer patients experience malnutrition and ultimately weight loss during the course of the treatment depending on the tumor type and stage which affects the patient’s overall health and quality of life (QoL). The present study aimed to evaluate prevalence of weight-loss prevalence depending on the tumor site and the gastrointestinal (G.I) symptoms experienced by patients receiving chemotherapy. The current study included 160 advanced cancer patients who were receiving chemotherapy treatment. The majority of the study participants were male (68%) with stage III cancer (65.6%) and lung as the primary tumor site (89.4%). Of these 45% patients experienced weight loss after chemotherapy and its prevalence was similarly higher among lung cancer patients. The common Gastro intestinal (G.I) symptoms or toxicities after chemotherapy were observed among 42.5% of the study participants. In conclusion, the present study findings indicate that G.I symptoms can influence weight loss among cancer patients and it must be considered as an integral part of early nutritional evaluations.

Keywords

weight loss, cancer stage, G.I symptoms, chemotherapy, lung