Multidisciplinary approach and nutritional impact on the patient with pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Background: Early nutritional assessment and nutritional status play an important role in patients' prognosis and quality of life. The A.O.U. City of Health and Science of Turin (Citta della Salute e della Scienza di Torino), together with the Oncology Network of Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta (Rete Oncologica Piemonte-Valle d'Aosta), established on one side the Reception and Services Center (CAS), that aims at taking care of patients trough the involvement of different health professionals and on the other side the Interdisciplinary Treatment Groups (GIC) that define more appropriate treatment paths for each patient. Early reports of pancreatic cancer patients to the Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Unit may positively affect medical and surgical treatments. Material(s) and Method(s): 61 patients with pancreatic cancer were investigated for nutritional status, food intake and health status. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether a multidisciplinary approach and an early nutritional intervention can improve patients' outcome and quality of life. Patients were examined from January 2015 to December 2017, each of them for a minimum of 6 months, depending on their nutritional and health status. Result(s): During 6 months of follow up, weight remained almost unvaried, starting from a body mass index (BMI) of 23,2 (+/- 3,3) at T0 and ending with a BMI of 23,1 (+/-2,6) at T2, (but weight loss percentage varied from 11,9 (1/- 6,5)at T0 to -1,8 (1/-4,9) at T2.) Calories intake varied from 1308 kcal (+/- 363) at T0 to 1670 kcal (+/- 408) at T2 and proteins intake varied from 52 (+/-17) at T0 to 68 (+/- 18) at T2. 21% of patients needed oral nutritional supplements and 8% of patients started parental nutrition after the first nutritional assessment at T0, while at T2 35% of patients needed oral nutritional supplements and 20% started or continued parental nutrition. Conclusion(s): The early nutritional assessment and the multidisciplinary approach showed a reduction in the percentage of the weight loss, due to an increase of calories and proteins intake (oral food) together with an increase in oral nutritional supplements. Serum proteins and albumin changed from 6,2 mg/dl (+/- 0,6) and 3,2 mg/dl (+/- 0,6) at T0 to 6,3 mg/dl (+/- 0,5) and 3,4 mg/dl (0,6) at T2.