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- Nutritional risks and colorectal cancer in a Portuguese populationPublication . Ravasco, Paula; Monteiro Grillo, isabel; Marques-Vidal, Pedro; Camilo, MariaBackground: Food and nutrition as major causes of colorectal cancer (CRC) are still debatable. Aim of the study: This cross-sectional study in a Portuguese population aimed to characterize and identify "high-risk" diets/life-styles and explore their associations with colorectal cancer. Methods: In 70 colorectal cancer patients and 70 sex, age-matched subjects without cancer history, we evaluated: diet history and detailed nutrient intake (DIET-PLAN5 2002, UK), alcohol (amount, type, years), smoking (number packages/year, years), physical activity, co-morbidities and body mass index. Age-adjusted Relative Risks were calculated, Proportional Hazards models adjusted the analysis for multiple risk factors. Results: Smoking was a risk factor (1.90). Increased colorectal cancer risk regarding the lowest vs the highest intake quartile emerged for: vitamin B12 (3.41), cholesterol (3.15), total fat (2.87), saturated fat (1.98), animal protein (1.95), energy (1.85), alcohol (1.70), iron (1.49), refined carbohydrates (1.39). Reduced colorectal cancer risk for the highest vs the lowest intake quartile was found for: n-3 fatty acids (0.10), insoluble fiber/folate (0.15), flavonoids/vitamin E (0.25), isoflavones/beta-carotene (0.30), selenium (0.36), copper (0.41), vitamin B6 (0.46). Conclusion: Our results corroborated well-established risk factors and identified emergent nutrients. Prolonged excessive intake of macronutrients and some micronutrients concurrent with marked deficits of fiber and protective compounds were dominant in colorectal cancer and more significant than alcohol and smoking. The interaction diet-colorectal cancer is consistent and the relevance of new nutrients is emerging.
- Cancer wasting and quality of life react to early individualized nutritional counselling!Publication . Ravasco, Paula; Monteiro Grillo, Isabel; Camilo, MariaTo devise a meaningful nutritional therapy in cancer, a greater understanding of nutritional dimensions as well as patients' expectations and disease impact is essential. We have shown that nutritional deterioration in patients with gastrointestinal and head and neck cancer was multifactorial and mainly determined by the tumour burden and location. In a larger cohort, stage and location were yet again the major determinants of patients' quality of life (QoL), despite the fact that nutritional deterioration combined with intake deficits were functionally more relevant than cancer stage. Based on this framework, the potential role of integrated oral nutritional support on outcomes was investigated. In a pilot study using individualized nutritional counselling on a heterogeneous patient population, the achieved improvement of nutritional intake was proportional to a better QoL. The role of early nutritional support was further analysed in a prospective randomized controlled trial in head and neck cancer patients stratified by stage undergoing radiotherapy. Pre-defined outcomes were: nutritional status and intake, morbidity and QoL, at the end and 3 months after radiotherapy. Nutritional interventions, only given during radiotherapy, consisted of three randomization arms: (1) individualized nutritional counselling vs. (2) ad libitum diet+high protein supplements vs. (3) ad libitum diet. Nutritional interventions 1 and 2 positively influenced outcomes during radiotherapy; however, 3 months after its completion individualized nutritional counselling was the single method capable of sustaining a significant impact on patients' outcomes. The early provision of the appropriate mixture of foods and textures using regular foods may modulate outcomes in cancer patients.
- Cancer : disease and nutrition are key determinants of patients' quality of lifePublication . Monteiro Grillo, Isabel; Marques-Vidal, Pedro; Camilo, Maria; Ravasco, PaulaGoals of work: The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate quality of life (QoL), nutritional status and dietary intake taking into account the stage of disease and therapeutic interventions, (2) to determine potential interrelationships, and (3) to quantify the relative contributions of the cancer, nutrition and treatments on QoL. Patients and methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study conducted in 271 head and neck, oesophagus, stomach and colorectal cancer patients, the following aspects were evaluated: QoL (EORTC-QLQ C30), nutritional status (percent weight loss over the previous 6 months), usual diet (comprehensive diet history), current diet (24-h recall) and a range of clinical variables. Main results: Usual and current intakes differed according to the site of the tumour ( P=0.02). Patients with stage III/IV disease showed a significant reduction from their usual energy/protein intake ( P=0.001), while their current intakes were lower than in patients with stage I/II disease ( P=0.0002). Weight loss was greater in patients with stage III/IV disease than in those with stage I/II disease ( P=0.001). Estimates of effect size revealed that QoL function scores were determined in 30% by cancer location, in 20% by nutritional intake, in 30% by weight loss, in 10% by chemotherapy, in 6% by surgery, in 3% by disease duration and in 1% by stage of disease. Likewise in the case of symptom scales, 41% were attributed to cancer location, 22% to stage, 7% to nutritional intake, 7% to disease duration, 4% to surgery, 1% to weight loss and 0.01% to chemotherapy. Finally for single items, 30% were determined by stage, 20% by cancer location, 9% by intake, 4% by surgery, 3% by weight loss, 3% by disease duration and 1% by chemotherapy. Conclusions: Although cancer stage was the major determinant of patients' QoL globally, there were some diagnoses for which the impact of nutritional deterioration combined with deficiencies in nutritional intake may be more important than the stage of the disease process.