Background: Cancer patients are often complicated by weight loss and malnutrition, thus it is important to provide nutritional therapy in parallel with disease treatment. This study examined the significance of early intervention by NST for cancer patients.
Methods: Seventy-five cancer patients out of 281 patients who underwent NST intervention between July 2021 and June 2022 were included. Intervention outcomes, such as energy and protein sufficiency(=intake/target), and final evaluation by a NST nutritionist at the end of the intervention("improvement"/"unchanged"/"disease progression"/ "death"), were compared between patients who received NST intervention within 7 days from admission(Group A)and after 7 days from admission(Group B).
Results: Nutritional sufficiency at the end of NST intervention was higher in Group A for both energy and protein, and the proportion of"improvement"was higher in Group A for the final evaluation by a NST nutritionist. Patients' situation(pre-initial treatment/post-chemotherapy/post-surgery/worsening nutritional status during follow-up)was biased between 2 groups, however Group A showed better results for nutritional sufficiency rate and final evaluation in each subgroup of patients' situation.
Conclusion: Early intervention may improve the effectiveness of NST for cancer patients. It is important to extract subjects and start NST intervention at early timing.