Nutritional Status of Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common malignant tumor found in the otorhinolaryngology department of the head and neck. On the other hand, malnutrition is common problems among patients with cancer. AIM: The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between NPC stage and nutritional status. METHODS: Data were obtained retrospectively through medical records of NPC patients at Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung and Santosa Hospital Bandung Kopo who were examined in the first examination between 2016 and 2020. Data collection included age, gender, NPC stage, and body mass index (BMI) of all patients. To analyze the association among variables, Mann–Whitney, Chi-square test with alternative Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and Fisher’s exact for categorical data, and multivariate analysis with binary logistic regression were performed. RESULTS: Patients who were included in this study found 554 people, mostly malnourished. There was a significant difference between the NPC stage and the level of malnutrition with p = 0.0001, but there was no significant difference between the NPC stage and age (p = 0.353), the NPC stage and gender (p = 0.074), BMI and age only (p = 0.194), early stage only (p =0.464), and late stage only (p = 0.368); BMI and gender in early and late stage (p = 0.411), early stage only (p = 0.583), and late stage only (p = 0.731). CONCLUSION: At an advanced stage of NPC, the BMI value will be lower.