Abstract 7: Assessment of Baseline Nutritional Status of Pediatric Cancer Patients Treated in the Pediatric Oncology Unit of Jimma University Medical Center: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: Childhood cancer becomes a public health problem in developing countries which aggravates the burden of childhood mortality through infectious diseases and malnutrition. Even though it has been shown that malnutrition affects the clinical outcome, survivability and quality of life of cancer patients, studies are still scarce to explore the magnitude of nutritional status and its determinants among pediatric cancer patients in Ethiopia and the study area in particular. Therefore the purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of malnutrition and its associated factor among pediatrics cancer patients. Methods: A 1-Year retrospective study was carried out among all patients less than 15 years old admitted between May 2016 to October 2017 to the pediatric oncology unit of Jimma University Medical Center, southwest Ethiopia. Medical charts were reviewed. Sociodemographic and anthropometric measurements were taken. Data were entered into Epidata and analyzed using SPSS version 20 statistical package. Results: A total of eighty-nine pediatrics cancer patients were admitted at Jimma University Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Unit (POHU). From this, thirty-one (34.8%) were ⇐5 years, and 65.2% were between 6 and 15 years with the mean age of 8 years. Majority, forty eight (53.9%) of pediatrics cancer patients were male. Fourty (44.9%) had hematologic malignancy, thirty six (40.4%) had solid tumors and other Malignancies were about thirty (14.6%). eleven (12.4%), nine (10.1%) were moderately and mildly wasted, respectively based on MUAC and WFH. Fourty (44.9%) of the patients were underweight based on BMI and WFA and twenty (22.5%) were stunted based on HFA. From the total of 27 SAM patients, sixteen (18.0%) were non edematous type of malnutrition, six (6.7%) were edematous types of malnutrition and five (5.6%) were Marasmic kwashakor. Conclusion: considerable cases of malnutrition were observed among the study population. Therefore Further studies are required to examine the effect of malnutrition on patient prognosis and its effect over the various cancer medications. Strengthening the pediatric oncology unit to identify malnourished children on admission, providing nutritional supplements and identifying and treating infection that could result in malnutrition, early intervention of cancer and creating awareness about malnutrition for the parents could minimize the burden and improve survival of cancer patients. Citation Format: Rediet Gebremedhin, Melku Tsefaye Abebe. Assessment of Baseline Nutritional Status of Pediatric Cancer Patients Treated in the Pediatric Oncology Unit of Jimma University Medical Center: A Cross-Sectional Study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Closing the Research-to-Implementation Gap; 2023 Apr 4-6. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 7.