[The nutritional status of patients with colorectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy].

Objective: Determine the nutritional status of patients with colorectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy and assess how many patients could benefit from nutrition facts.

Method: Patients of both sexes aged over the age of 18 with colorectal cancer who were receiving chemotherapy between March and April 2005 were included. The nutritional status of these patients was evaluated using the method "Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment" (PG-SGA). According to this questionnaire, the patients were classified in one of four levels of intervention (a) no intervention required; b) nutrition education; c) nutritional intervention; d) critical intervention) and into one of three nutritional status (well-nourished, moderately malnourished or severely malnourished).

Results: All the patients with colorectal cancer receiving chemotherapy during the two months indicated (33 patients): 9.1% were in stage II of the disease, 21.2% in stage III and 69.7% in stage IV. The 69.7% was receiving cytostatics associated with moderate risk of malnutrition while 30.3% received low-risk chemotherapy. 57.6% of the patients were well-nourished. However, the intervention was critical in 42.4% of the patients.

Conclusions: The majority of the patients studied require some type of nutritional act, although not all of them suffer from malnutrition.