Adjuvant Nutritional Therapy in the Management of Malnourished Cancer Patients

Abstract

A new Nutritional Adjunct was tested as an adjuvant with radiotherapy for cervical cancer in Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh. In addition to the cancer induced malnutrition, most Bangladeshi people are basically malnourished. The main objective of this study was, therefore, to examine if this newly patented Nutritional Adjunct could at least be useful in preventing further deterioration of the nutritional status of cancer patients receiving chemo- and/or radiotherapy. Twenty female subjects with stage III cervical cancer participated in this preliminary case-control clinical trial. Ten subjects receiving the Nutritional Adjunct showed a significant improvement in their nutritional status, at least in terms body weight changes and a general feeling of wellness, compared to the patients in the control group. Furthermore, the bone marrow status, as measured by the platelet counts (PC), was found to be enhanced significantly (p<0.001), i.e. PC was increased from 2.6±0.10 x 10⁴ Cu mm to 3.9±0.3 x 10⁴ Cu mm, in the supplemented group. These preliminary results, therefore, strongly suggest prospective full clinical trial to ascertain any therapeutic efficacy of this new Nutritional Adjunct.