[Nutritional Risk Screening in head-and-neck cancer patients prior to oncological therapy]

Head-and-neck cancer patients run a high risk of peri- or post-treatment malnutrition that can severely affect the therapy outcome. However, little is known about malnutrition under the pre-treatment condition. Therefore, this study aimed to provide a systematic description of the pre-treatment nutritional status and risk of malnutrition in this population.

Before the onset of the oncological therapy, nutritional status of 102 head-and-neck cancer patients was assessed by body mass index (BMI), their risk of malnutrition by "Nutritional Risk Screening" (NRS). Tumour stage and site, patients' age and sex as well as oropharyngeal dysphagia were analysed as possible influence factors. The latter was quantified by the Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES).

According to BMI, malnutrition (undernutrition) was found in 6% of patients, a risk of malnutrition (NRS) in 27% of patients, and oropharyngeal dysphagia in 15%. In a linear regression, only oropharyngeal dysphagia was identified as a significant influence factor for the risk of malnutrition (β = 0.380/3.776; p < .001).

Pre-treatment risk of malnutrition was found in a quarter of head-and-neck cancer patients. For the early identification of this risk and for the introduction of measures that would help to avoid it, a pre-treatment examination of swallowing functions and a systematic malnutrition screening by means of NRS are recommended.