Cancer Patient
Conditions
Keywords
Cancer patients, Nutritional status, Randomized controlled trial, Nutritional intervention
Brief summary
This study is a randomized controlled trial aimed at evaluating the effect of a nutritional education program on dietary intake and nutritional status in cancer patients. Patients were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups, with the intervention group receiving structured nutritional education. Participants' nutritional status and daily dietary intake were assessed at baseline and during the follow-up period. The study aims to demonstrate that nutritional education can increase food intake and be effective in improving nutritional status in patients.
Detailed description
This study is a randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured nutritional education program in improving nutritional status in cancer patients. In cancer patients, the disease itself and the treatments administered (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc.) increase the risk of malnutrition due to decreased appetite, taste alterations, nausea, vomiting, and metabolic changes. Therefore, nutritional interventions are critically important for clinical outcomes in this group. Patients included in the study were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received an individualized and structured nutritional education program. This program included the importance of adequate energy and protein intake, nutritional strategies for symptoms, appropriate food selection, meal planning, and practical nutritional recommendations. The training was supported by both face-to-face sessions and follow-up interviews as needed. The control group continued with routine clinical care. The nutritional status of the patients was assessed at baseline and at designated follow-up intervals. Clinical nutritional screening tools (such as NRS-2002), anthropometric measurements (body weight, BMI), and food intake records were used to determine nutritional status. Daily energy and protein intakes of the patients were also analyzed. The primary aim of this study is to determine whether nutritional education increases patients' dietary intake and consequently reduces their risk of malnutrition. The impact of the educational intervention on patients' nutritional awareness, symptom management, and overall eating behaviors is also evaluated. The results are expected to contribute to the inclusion of nutritional education as a standard intervention in nursing care for oncology patients and to guide clinical practice.
Interventions
The intervention consisted of a structured and individualized nutrition education program designed for cancer patients. The program was delivered by a trained healthcare professional and aimed to improve dietary intake and nutritional status. It included education on adequate energy and protein consumption, management of treatment-related symptoms affecting food intake (such as nausea, anorexia, and taste changes), appropriate food selection, meal planning strategies, and practical dietary recommendations tailored to individual needs. The intervention was implemented through face-to-face educational sessions with follow-up reinforcement during the study period, in addition to routine clinical care.
Sponsors
Istanbul Aydın University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Adult patients diagnosed with cancer (\>18 years) * Receiving active cancer treatment (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy) * Able to take oral nutrition * Willing and able to participate in the nutrition education program * Provided written informed consent
Exclusion criteria
* Patients receiving enteral or parenteral nutrition * Severe cognitive impairment or inability to communicate * Critical or terminal condition preventing participation in education sessions * Severe comorbidities affecting dietary intake independently (e.g., advanced heart failure, end-stage renal disease)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Patient Information Form | First Day | The Patient Information Form was developed by the researchers in accordance with the relevant literature. It included items related to patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, such as age, gender, educational status, presence and site of metastasis, number of chemotherapy cycles administered at the time of enrollment, chemotherapy schedule, chemotherapy regimen, and type of chemotherapy (adjuvant or neoadjuvant). |
| Subjective Global Assessment | First day | The SGA is a nutritional assessment tool, which has been shown to demonstrate a strong correlation between subjective clinical judgment and objective nutritional measures. Due to its simplicity and predictive validity comparable to objective methods, it is widely used in clinical practice. The SGA includes components such as medical history (weight change over the past six months, dietary intake changes, gastrointestinal symptoms such as anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea), as well as functional capacity. Physical examination findings assess subcutaneous fat loss, muscle wasting, and edema, each scored as 0 (normal), 1+ (mild), 2+ (moderate), or 3+ (severe). |
| Nutritional Risk Screening | The First day | The NRS-2002 aims to identify malnutrition and the risk of malnutrition, and to determine patients who may benefit from nutritional support. The scoring system consists of two sections: 'nutritional status' and 'disease severity,' and allows for scoring as 'no problem,' 'mild,' 'moderate,' and 'severe.' Each section is scored from 0 to 3. In patients over seventy years of age, an additional 1 point is added to the score due to age. Patients with a total score ≥3 are considered to be at nutritional risk. |
Countries
Turkey (Türkiye)
Outcome results
None listed