CÁC RÀO CẢN TRONG ĂN UỐNG VÀ TÌNH TRẠNG CẤP THIẾT CẦN CAN THIỆP DINH DƯỠNG Ở BỆNH NHÂN UNG THƯ ĐẠI TRỰC TRÀNG ĐANG HÓA TRỊ

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of dietary barriers and the urgent need for nutritional intervention among colorectal cancer (CRC) patients undergoing chemotherapy at Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital. Subjects and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 218 patients aged 18 years and older diagnosed with colorectal cancer and undergoing chemotherapy at Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital from October 2022 to April 2023. Patients with mental disorders, cognitive impairments, or frailty that prevented them from participating in the interview were excluded. Nutritional status and the urgency of nutritional intervention were assessed using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) tool, with a total PG-SGA score ≥ 9 indicating a critical need for intervention. Results: The median age of CRC patients was 59 years; 49.5% were male, and 80.9% were in stages III–IV. A total of 54.6% of CRC patients were found to be in urgent need of nutritional intervention. Reported food intake barriers included fatigue (54.6%), lack of appetite/motivation to eat (51.8%), restrictive diets due to fear of cancer cell growth (50.5%), depression or anxiety (41.3%), pain (38.1%), early satiety or feeling fed up with eating (37.6%), anorexia or poor appetite (33.9%), and dry mouth (33.0%). Additional barriers such as taste changes or loss of taste, constipation, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to odors, diarrhea, and mouth sores were reported in 14.2% to 23.9% of patients. The study also found that patients aged 60 and above and those with monthly incomes under 5 million VND or who were dependent had significantly higher rates of urgent nutritional intervention needs compared to their younger or more financially stable counterparts (p<0.05). Conclusion and Recommendations: CRC patients undergoing chemotherapy had a high demand for urgent nutritional intervention. Timely and individualized nutritional strategies are essential, particularly focusing on identified dietary barriers, elderly patients and those with low income.