The Effects of Individual Diet Therapy on Food Intake, Quality of Life, and Related Serum Proteins in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: In cancer patients, weight loss due to malnutrition has a significant impact on the patients’ treatment and quality of life. This study aimed to determine the appropriate therapeutic strategy to control the side effects of chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer to improve their health, quality of life, and nutritional status. Methods: In our prospective study, we examined gastric cancer patients who were Seventy patients undergoing chemotherapy were included and randomly divided into intervention (n=35) and control groups (n=35). The intervention group received an individualized diet according to their nutritional needs for eight weeks, and the control group received dietary advice on the side effects of chemotherapy. Malnutrition, nutritional barriers, and patients’ quality of life were evaluated by PG-SGA, nutritional barriers, and QLQ-C30 questionnaires. Serum proteins were also assessed at the beginning and the end of the study. Results: The patients’ mean age was 50.91±1.72 years in the intervention group and 51±1.35 in the control group. According to the PG-SGA questionnaire classification, 68.5% of patients had malnutrition at baseline. In the intervention group, the mean score of PG-SGA decreased, which indicated an improvement in patients’ nutritional status. Increased scores in the functional section of QLQC30 and a decrease in the symptom section of this questionnaire indicated the improved quality of life in patients undergoing treatment at the end of the intervention. Albumin (P<0.001) and hemoglobin (P<0.001) levels increased in the intervention group, while there were no significant changes in these variables of the control group. Serum levels of ferritin did not show significant changes in either the intervention or the control group. Conclusion: Identifying nutritional barriers in breast cancer patients and individual diet therapy based on these barriers and nutritional needs reduces nutritional barriers. Consequently, malnutrition would decline, and the quality of life may enhance in these patients.