Frequência de desnutrição pela espessura do músculo adutor do polegar em pacientes com câncer de cabeça e pescoço

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Malnutrition is common in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), mainly due to the side effects caused by the treatment, leading to an increased risk of complications and mortality. It is necessary to evaluate nutritional status as the thickness of the adductor pollicis muscle thickness (APMT), which is a quick, noninvasive and objective measure to measure body muscle mass. The aim of the study was to estimate if the thickness of the adductor muscle of the thumb predicts malnutrition in patients with head and neck cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional cut with patients diagnosed with primary HNC which had not undergone prior cancer treatment. 2 Socio-demographic, clinical, and nutritional status information were collected. RESULTS: A total of 91 patients were evaluated. Malnutrition by APMT was high in most of the classifications, being 69.8% (n = 60) considering Bragagnolo et al. Different frequencies were observed by other authors. There was a significant correlation between APMT and PG-ASG (r = -0.31; p <0.03), but there was no association with BMI. CONCLUSION: It was observed a high frequency of malnutrition by APMT and showed a significant correlation with PG-ASG, and may be an alternative of practical use in patients with head and neck cancer.