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Nutritional status in childhood malignancies.
Amalia Schiavetti1, Christiana Fornari, Enea Bonci
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Rome La Sapienza, 00161 Rome, Italy. Amaliasc@tiscalinet.it
Nutrition and Cancer
|May 8, 2003
Summary
Nutritional disorders are common in pediatric oncology patients. Underweight status is prevalent in children undergoing therapy, while overweight issues arise in those off therapy, necessitating targeted nutritional interventions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Nutritional Science
- Clinical Research
Background:
- Nutritional status is crucial for children undergoing cancer treatment, impacting chemotherapy tolerance and growth.
- Disordered nutrition can complicate treatment and recovery in pediatric cancer patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of nutritional status disorders in pediatric oncology day-hospital patients.
- To compare nutritional status between children on and off cancer therapy.
Main Methods:
- Weight and height were measured in pediatric patients with solid tumors.
- Relative body weight (%RBW) and body mass index (BMI) were calculated.
- Patients were categorized into weight classes and grouped by therapy status (on/off).
Main Results:
- A significant prevalence of underweight was observed in patients on therapy (26.3% by %RBW, 15.8% by BMI).
- Overweight prevalence was higher in patients off therapy (52.9% by %RBW, 35.3% by BMI) compared to those on therapy (36.9% by %RBW, 21% by BMI).
- Statistical significance was noted for overweight prevalence differences between on- and off-therapy groups (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Pediatric oncology patients require nutritional assessment to guide interventions.
- On-therapy patients show concerning rates of underweight, needing nutritional support.
- Off-therapy patients present with higher overweight prevalence, warranting investigation into underlying causes.