Nutritional Status as a Factor of Quality of Life in Patients with Cancer of the Esophogus at Mulago Hospital Complex

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer of the esophagus (CAE) is the seventh and 13th commonly occurring cancer in men and women respectively with over 500,000 new cases worldwide in 2018. Around 81% of these cases occur in less developed countries. Malnutrition is a significant factor in predicting the quality of life in patients with cancer of the esophagus. The incidence of malnutrition in cancer patients ranges from 40% to 80%. However, there‟s not much information on the association of nutritional status and the quality of life of patients diagnosed with CAE in our setting. This study aimed at evaluating the association of nutritional status with psychosocial life and physical functioning components of QoL of patients with CAE in Mulago National Referral Hospital Complex. Methods: A total of 91 patients of histologically proven CAE with ECOG of 3 and below, from UCI and CTS OPDs were recruited into the study in regard to acceptable ethical standards. Data was collected using interviewer administered questionnaires. The psychosocial and physical functioning, was determined by the objective oriented extractions of the cancer specific EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. The nutritional status was determined by patient reporting and physical examination using the PG-SGA tool. Data was entered into an electronic Epidata 4.2 and analyzed using STATA 14.0 Results: A total of 91 participants were recruited for the study, of which 67 (73.63%) were males and the mean age was 67.29±7.6 years. The mean global health status was 55.86±13.23 percent. Out of 91 patients, 72(79.12%) were in stage C and 14 (15.38%) were in stage B while only 5 (5.49%) were in stage A according to PG-SGA nutrition classification. There was a significant mean difference in Physical functioning and Emotional functioning between males and females (P=0.0160 and P=0.0456 respectively). There was also a significant relationship between physical functioning and Stage C PG-SGA nutritional status (OR=15.13, P=0.004), Social functioning and Stage C PG-SGA nutritional status (OR=7.5, P=0.020). Conclusion: Malnutrition states grossly reduces the physical functioning and psychosocial quality of life of patients with cancer of the esophagus. Key words: Cancer of the esophagus, malnutrition, Quality of Life