Short-term chemotherapy-related complications and undernutrition in children diagnosed with cancer at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana: A prospective cohort study

by Nihad Salifu, Catherine I. Segbefia, Yakubu Alhassan, Lorna A. Renner, Edem M. A. Tette Undernutrition in children with cancer is associated with complications during cancer therapy. The study objective was to determine the association between specific anthropometric parameters and short-term chemotherapy-related complications and mortality. This was a hospital-based, prospective coh ort study of children, age ≤12 years, with a new cancer diagnosis at the Paediatric Oncology Unit, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana. Socio-demographic information, cancer characteristics and anthropometric measurements were obtained at enrolment. Participants were followed up for twelve weeks fro m commencement of chemotherapy and selected treatment-related complications such as anaemia and thrombocytopenia requiring transfusions, prolonged neutropenia resulting in treatment delays, febrile neutropenia, mucositis and death were recorded. A total of 133 participants were recruited with a medi an age of 4.5 years. Eighty-one (60.9%) were diagnosed with solid tumours, 31 (23.3%) had leukaemias and 21 (15.8%) had lymphomas. Of the anthropometric parameters assessed, only arm anthropometry using upper arm muscle area (UAMA) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) were associated with complica tions. Participants with wasting were more likely to develop anaemia and mucositis. However, the incidence of prolonged neutropenia was significantly higher among participants with average UAMA (p = 0.043) ...
Source: PLoS One - Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Source Type: research