Abstract
This study was conducted to assess the frequency of pre-operative malnourishment in patients being treated for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. A retrospective chart review was carried out at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, on 62 patients. Patients were screened pre-operatively through a standard nutritional assessment tool at the time of admission to assess for malnutrition. Mean age of presentation was 48.34±13.11 years, mean height was 165 ± 8.62cm, weight 66.09±14.98 kg and BMI of 24.09±4.84. Males were 82.3% and 17.7% were females. At the time of admission, a significant number or patients, 12 (19.4%) were prone to malnourishment, while 3 (4.8%) patients were malnourished: Assessment was done by using a standardised nutritional assessment tool.
Highlights
Ac ce pt ed Squamous cell carcinomas are mostly observed in patients in the region of the head and neck
The site of the tumour itself causes dysphagia and odynophagia.[4, 5] Malnutrition prior to the start of treatment in head and neck cancer patients coupled with the extensive treatment these patients under go, including surgery and radiotherapy, leads to a vicious cycle of decreased skeletal mass and function, malnourishment followed by various complications such as wound dehiscence and delayed healing.[6, 7] A significant proportion of patients with head and neck cancer die due to the outcomes of malnutrition rather than malignancy itself.[8]
Exclusion criteria were all patients with histological findings other than squamous cell carcinoma, distant metastasis before the commencement of treatment and patients treated primarily outside the ENT department or treated outside AKUH
Summary
Ac ce pt ed Squamous cell carcinomas are mostly observed in patients in the region of the head and neck . Due to the malignancy itself 52% of the patients are malnourished at the time of diagnosis. Malnutrition in these patients has been defined as BMI of
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