Comprehensive nutritional assessment with phase angle for early undernutrition detection in colorectal cancer patients

Introduction: early assessment of the nutritional status of the patient with colorectal cancer (CRC) has an important role because of its relationship with treatment success and prognosis. Objective: to evaluate the use of a comprehensive nutritional assessment with phase angle (PA) for early detection of undernutrition in patients with CRC. Methods: 14 patients with a recent diagnosis of CRC and 14 individuals without cancer were included in a descriptive cross-sectional study. Weight and height were measured. Bioelectrical impedance was performed, and PA was obtained. In addition, handgrip strength, biochemical indicators and dietary intake were evaluated. The Shapiro-Wilk test was applied to evaluate normality. Pearson correlation was used to determine the confounding variables. Analysis of covariance was performed for quantitative variables, adjusting anthropometric indicators for age and sex, and biochemical parameters for socioeconomic level. Results: more than 70.00 % of patients had a diagnosis of undernutrition based on patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) and PA. Also, 91.70 % of patients had low handgrip strength. The prevalence of sarcopenia was high in the CRC group (58.00 %) and in the non-cancer group (46.00 %). In addition, cholesterol, total protein, and albumin were significantly lower in patients with CRC. The protein-energy intake of patients with CRC was lower compared to their requirements. Conclusions: 75.00 % of patients presented undernutrition at the time of CRC diagnosis according to the PA. Comprehensive nutritional assessment, that includes PA is crucial for timely diagnosis of malnourished oncology patients.