Systemic inflammation and nutritional insufficiency in palliative cancer patients

Abstract

Aim. To study the relationship between the symptoms of nutritional insufficiency and systemic inflammation in cancer palliative patients. Methods. 106 palliative cancer patients were examined at Chelyabinsk Regional Clinical Center of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine: 54 (50.9%) men and 52 (49.1%) women aged 61 [54; 67] years. All patients underwent laboratory and instrumental examination within the approved standards of specialized medical care. Systemic inflammation was assessed by the levels of acute phase proteins (C-reactive protein, fibrinogen). The study of integrated clinical and laboratory, somatometric parameters was carried out. The nutritional risk index was assessed. Results. Palliative cancer patients showed a statistically significant decrease in the concentration of hemoglobin, lymphocytes, and albumin. The activation of systemic inflammation that manifested by hyperfibrinogenemia and an increase in the level of C-reactive protein was revealed. The study of somatometric parameters revealed a statistically significant decrease in body mass index, shoulder circumference, subscapular skinfold thickness, and a tendency to reduce lean body mass. The nutritional risk index assessment showed mild nutritional insufficiency in 22 (20.8%) of the examined patients and severe nutritional insufficiency in 28 (26.4%) patients. The maximum diagnostic significance of the level of C-reactive protein for prediction the nutritional insufficiency was achieved at 80.4% sensitivity and 52.7% specificity (AUC=0.671, 95% confidence interval [0.573; 0.759], p=0.001), which corresponded to a C-reactive protein threshold of 31 mg/l. Conclusion. 50 (47.2%) of the examined patients showed signs of nutritional insufficiency, a statistically significant decrease in hemoglobin and albumin concentration, as well as lymphocyte count, activation of systemic inflammation, manifested by hyperfibrinogenemia, and an increase in the level of C-reactive protein; it was revealed a statistically significant relationship between C-reactive protein level and malnutrition.