Abstract
The aim of this study is to evaluate the nutritional status and quality of life (QOL) in patients with unresectable pancreatic head cancer. This is a retrospective assessment that included different parameters namely: current weight, weight loss, body mass index (BMI), bilirubin level (BT), serum albumin (ALB) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Protein-calorie malnutrition was defined by the nutritional risk index (NRI) and quality of life by the general quality of life in digestive disease score (GIQL). The study included 50 patients (60% men, 40% women) with a mean age of 61.8±13.5 years. 32 patients had locally advanced tumors and 16 had metastatic tumors. All patients had significant weight loss [median 24.9% (2%-37%) of stable pre-disease weight], BMI was less than 18.5 kg/m2 in 66% (18.28 ±3.6 kg/m2). Bilirubin was greater than 200mg/l in 44%, ALB less than 35 g/l in 92% and CRP greater than 6 mg/l in 84% of patients. Severe undernutrition was present in 73% of patients and moderate undernutrition in 27%. The GIQL score was satisfactory in 73% of the patients. These results show that this cancer has a serious impact on nutritional status, hence the need to manage these patients in order to mitigate nutritional exhaustion and improve their quality of life.
Highlights
Cancer of the head of the pancreas is the 6th digestive cancer in terms of frequency and represents 2.5% of cancers [1]
Pancreatic head cancer is associated with poor nutritional status and quality of life, few data on these aspects are available [5]
Serum albumin which is considered as a marker of nutritional status in cancer patients [9] was significantly reduced, 92% had an albumin below 35g/l
Summary
Cancer of the head of the pancreas is the 6th digestive cancer in terms of frequency and represents 2.5% of cancers [1] This percentage is very close to that recorded in Rabat; it represents 2.9% of all cancers, ranking ninth among male cancers and 1.8% of all cancers in women, ranking twelfth among female cancers [2]. At the time of diagnosis, curative tumor resection is only possible in 10-15% of subjects, leaving a large population with a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options [6]. This cancer is capable of inducing biliary obstruction which may induce jaundice following bile excretion. We sought through this study to assess the nutritional status and quality of life of patients with pancreatic head cancer
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