Nutritional Status and Growth Deficit in Children and Adolescents with Cancer at Different Moments of Treatment

Abstract

Background Nutrition deficits are common in children and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment and can contribute to a worse prognosis. There are scarce studies regarding this context considering different moments of treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between moment of treatment and nutritional status in children and adolescents with cancer. Methods A retrospective study was performed from January 2013 to December 2015, including data from all clinical records of patients under 18 years old with cancer. Clinical, nutritional support and anthropometric data were collected at four moments of treatment from cancer diagnosis: diagnosis (t0), 3 mo, (t1), 6 mo, (t2) and 1 year (t3). In addition, nutritional indicators were evaluated. Generalized Estimating Equation models were performed to analyze changes on anthropometric indices throughout four moments of treatment. Results The sample comprised 73 patients and frequency of nutritional deficits ranged from 13.0% to 18.6%. All nutritional indicators decreased at t1, showed a modest recovery at t2 and a stronger recovery at t3 (p < 0.001). Growth was also impacted during treatment, mainly on patients under 2 years in the first three months of treatment. Conclusions Moment of treatment was associated with growth deficit and decreased percentiles in development indicators.