Host-related factors and cancer: Malnutrition and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

in Hematological oncology by Salvatrice Mancuso, Marta Mattana, Marco Santoro, Melania Carlisi, Silvio Buscemi, Sergio Siragusa

TLDR

  • Malnutrition is a problem that can happen when people have cancer. It can make the cancer worse and make it harder for the treatment to work. There are different ways to measure how well someone is eating, and these can help doctors figure out if someone is malnourished. There are also different ways to treat malnutrition, and these can help people with cancer get better. There are many different ways that malnutrition can affect cancer, and more research is needed to understand these relationships.

Abstract

Assessment of host-related factors is a crucial aspect in the comprehensive management of cancer patients. A distinct nutritional disturbance linked to cancer has been recognized to be associated with negative outcomes. However, compared to solid tumors, only a limited number of studies have looked specifically at nutritional issues in the field of lymphoma. The aim of this review is to integrate the current knowledge on interactions between malnutrition and lymphoma and address most relevant and pertinent questions. We first provide a literature review on the mutual biological relationship between malnutrition and lymphoma. Next, we explore the overlap between malnutrition, sarcopenia, cachexia and frailty in lymphoma studies. In addition, we summarize the clinical assessment scales used to measure malnutrition in lymphoma subjects. Furthermore, we address the problem of nutritional interventions aimed at patients who are candidates for treatment for lymphoma. Malnutrition can arise as a consequence of lymphoma disease and can in turn promote lymphomagenesis, negatively affect the response to therapy and favor adverse event to treatment. There is increasing evidence that malnutrition, sarcopenia and cachexia in lymphoma are intimately inter-related and are a hallmark of frailty. A variety of different tools are recorded with the apparent ability to describe nutritional status and to impact prognosis in lymphoma patients. Finally, a network of prognostic host- and disease-related factors is proposed where malnutrition can interact with each other in complex ways.

Overview

  • The study aims to integrate the current knowledge on interactions between malnutrition and lymphoma and address most relevant and pertinent questions. It provides a literature review on the mutual biological relationship between malnutrition and lymphoma, explores the overlap between malnutrition, sarcopenia, cachexia and frailty in lymphoma studies, summarizes the clinical assessment scales used to measure malnutrition in lymphoma subjects, and addresses the problem of nutritional interventions aimed at patients who are candidates for treatment for lymphoma. Malnutrition can arise as a consequence of lymphoma disease and can in turn promote lymphomagenesis, negatively affect the response to therapy and favor adverse event to treatment. There is increasing evidence that malnutrition, sarcopenia and cachexia in lymphoma are intimately inter-related and are a hallmark of frailty. A variety of different tools are recorded with the apparent ability to describe nutritional status and to impact prognosis in lymphoma patients. Finally, a network of prognostic host- and disease-related factors is proposed where malnutrition can interact with each other in complex ways.

Comparative Analysis & Findings

  • The study identifies a mutual biological relationship between malnutrition and lymphoma. Malnutrition can arise as a consequence of lymphoma disease and can in turn promote lymphomagenesis, negatively affect the response to therapy and favor adverse event to treatment. There is increasing evidence that malnutrition, sarcopenia and cachexia in lymphoma are intimately inter-related and are a hallmark of frailty. A variety of different tools are recorded with the apparent ability to describe nutritional status and to impact prognosis in lymphoma patients. Finally, a network of prognostic host- and disease-related factors is proposed where malnutrition can interact with each other in complex ways.

Implications and Future Directions

  • The study highlights the significance of malnutrition in lymphoma and its impact on the response to therapy and prognosis. It suggests that nutritional interventions aimed at patients who are candidates for treatment for lymphoma should be considered. The study also proposes a network of prognostic host- and disease-related factors where malnutrition can interact with each other in complex ways. Future research should focus on developing more accurate and specific tools to measure malnutrition and its impact on lymphoma outcomes. Additionally, studies should investigate the role of malnutrition in the development and progression of lymphoma and its response to treatment.