Nutritional Status and Quality of Life in Individuals with Cancer Assisted by a non-Governmental Organization

Abstract

Introduction: Non-governmental organizations have assumed a complementary role to the health care system for cancer patients. Identification of the particularities of patients assisted by those institutions is necessary for defining better approaches. Objective: To analyze the relationship between nutritional status and quality of life in individuals with cancer assisted by a non-governmental organization. Method: Cross-sectional study with individuals with cancer, from August to October 2017. A structured questionnaire was applied with socioeconomic information, anthropometric and health conditions. EORTCQLQ-C30 was used to evaluate quality of life. Results: From 163 patients, the majority were female and the most prevalent type of cancer were breast (26%). Most (58.6%) were overweight (39.5% pre-obese and 19.1% obesity, respectively), with breast cancer being more associated with this nutritional status. It was observed that overall quality of life was satisfactory (76.0±20.74), except in emotional function (54.2±32.81). At symptoms scales, the most affected domains were insomnia (41.5±43.84), followed by pain (34.6±36.17) and constipation (32.9±42.55). Malnourished patients had significantly more nausea and vomiting and less diarrhea (p<0.001). Patients with severe weight loss had worse social function and those with moderate weight loss reported greater loss of appetite and diarrhea (p<0.01). Conclusion: Nutritional status had an impact on the quality of life of cancer patients assisted by the non-governmental organization, demonstrating the importance of multiprofessional approaches in these institutions that could benefit those patients.