Association between malnutrition and caloric intake, emesis, psychological depression, glucose taste, and tumor mass

A nutritional evaluation was performed in 72 patients with advanced solid tumors receiving chemotherapy: 35 patients (49%) were considered malnourished and 37 (51%) were considered normal. The malnourished group showed a significantly lower caloric intake than the normal group (1214 +/- 360 vs 2088 +/- 607; P less than 0.001) and a higher incidence of severe depression (16 of 27 patients [59%] vs six of 30 [20%]; P = 0.026). No significant difference was found between the normal and malnourished patients in reference to emesis, glucose tasting threshold, or tumor burden.