%0 Journal Article
%T Pretreatment malnutrition and quality of life - association with prolonged length of hospital stay among patients with gynecological cancer: a cohort study
%A Brenda Laky
%A Monika Janda
%A Srinivas Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan
%A Geoffrey Cleghorn
%A Andreas Obermair
%J BMC Cancer
%D 2010
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2407-10-232
%X This cohort study enrolled 157 patients with suspected or proven gynecological cancer at a tertiary cancer centre (2004-2006). Before commencing treatment, the scored Patient Generated - Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) measuring nutritional status and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) scale measuring quality of life (QOL) were completed. Clinical and demographic patient characteristics were prospectively obtained. Patients were grouped into those with prolonged LOS if their hospital stay was greater than the median LOS and those with average or below average LOS.Patients' mean age was 58 years (SD 14 years). Preoperatively, 81 (52%) patients presented with suspected benign disease/pelvic mass, 23 (15%) with suspected advanced ovarian cancer, 36 (23%) patients with suspected endometrial and 17 (11%) with cervical cancer, respectively. In univariate models prolonged LOS was associated with low serum albumin or hemoglobin, malnutrition (PG-SGA score and PG-SGA group B or C), low pretreatment FACT-G score, and suspected diagnosis of cancer. In multivariable models, PG-SGA group B or C, FACT-G score and suspected diagnosis of advanced ovarian cancer independently predicted LOS.Malnutrition, low quality of life scores and being diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer are the major determinants of prolonged LOS amongst gynecological cancer patients. Interventions addressing malnutrition and poor QOL may decrease LOS in gynecological cancer patients.Despite significant advances in cancer therapy, in-patient hospital care remains a major expense in the treatment of patients with gynecological cancer. Reducing length of hospital stay (LOS) has the potential to decrease health care cost, risk of infections and other hospital acquired diseases, and to improve patients' quality of life (QOL). Previous studies have observed differential LOS by cancer type and stage, however, these characteristics commonly are not available before surgery, and thus
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/10/232