Nutrient Intake and Nutritional Status of Blood Cancer Patients at a Tertiary Hospital in India: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Analysis of Leukemia, Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma

Abstract

In 2018, there were an estimated 18 million cancer cases worldwide, with lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and leukemia contributing to a significant portion of these cases. Lymphoma accounted for 79,990 cases, multiple myeloma for 159,985 cases, and leukemia for 437,033 cases globally (AICR, 2018). In the United States alone, approximately 30,770 people are diagnosed with multiple myeloma each year. Multiple myeloma comprises about 1.8% of all cancers and around 10% of all “blood cancers,” which includes leukemia (Penn Medicine, 2020). India ranks third in the highest reported cases of blood cancer, following the United States and China, affecting more than 70,000 men and women in the country. This study aimed to determine patients’ nutritional status and nutrient intake, following and before a diagnosis of leukemia, lymphoma, and/ or multiple myeloma, using a cross-sectional survey, as the aspect of health care at Apollo Hospitals, India. Findings showed that nutrient intake following diagnosis with leukemia, lymphoma and/ or multiple myeloma will reduce and as a result patient will trend in weight loss. This study suggests that after diagnosis with leukemia, lymphoma, and/ or multiple myeloma patients will experience difficulty in meeting nutrient requirements. The intake will be deficit compared to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Indians and the general guidelines for patients with cancer and/ or on chemotherapy. Hence, the hospital ought to carry out continuous quality improvement in nutrition care with surveys and interventions repeated indefinitely.