Evaluation of Different Parameters Pertaining to the Nutritional Status and its Impact on the Treatment of Head, Neck and Oesophageal Malignancies

Abstract

Cancer and nutrition to the patient is a ticklish subject. The most common malignancies in India pertain to head, neck and oesophogus. It is known that enteral nutritional problems are well marked in advanced conditions of the same. Poor nutrient intake resulting from dysphagia, odynophagia and anorexia is the most common cause of malnutrition in such group of patients. It was reported that the cause of poor response, high toxicity and mortality in such patients treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, either alone or in combinaiion are due to the poor nutritional status of the patient. It appears to be controversial. To investigate this problem, a study was conducted to know the answer to the following questions, (i) Prevalence of malnutrition in cancer patients of head, neck and oesophagus in Indian circumstances (ii) correlation of parameters in respect to nutritional status with each other and with clinical manifestations of such patients (iii) assess the impact of the nutritional status of the patient on the outcome of multimodal treatment.