Are Nutritional Interventions Worthwhile in Cancer Patients? A Systematic Review on Economic Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Health Economics
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Malnutrition is a significant issue in cancer patients, influenced by tumor progression and treatments.
• Nutritional interventions show promise for improving treatment efficacy and patient quality of life.
• The cost-effectiveness of these interventions requires systematic economic evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review economic evaluations of nutritional interventions for cancer patients.
• To assess the cost-effectiveness of preventive and therapeutic nutritional strategies.
• To provide evidence for clinical and policy decision-making.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed and Scopus databases.
• Evaluation of reporting quality using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist.
• Assessment of risk of bias using the Evidence and Cost Bias Assessment (ECOBIAS) checklist.

Main Results:

• Eight studies (1989-2022) focused on gastrointestinal cancers in high-income countries.
• Six studies used cost-utility analysis; four indicated cost-effectiveness of combined oral/parenteral nutrition with counseling.
• Most studies met CHEERS standards, but lacked heterogeneity analysis and stakeholder involvement discussion. Common biases included sensitivity analysis, quality-of-life weights, and scope limitations.

Conclusions:

• Nutritional interventions, particularly combined strategies, demonstrate potential cost-effectiveness in cancer care.
• Findings can guide physicians in optimizing patient treatments.
• Results may inform health policy decisions regarding nutritional support for cancer patients.