Relationship between pre-treatment nutritional status, serum glutamine, arginine levels and clinicopathological features in Taiwan colorectal cancer patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES To examine the relationship between malnutrition criteria, serum glutamine and arginine concentrations, and clinicopathological features in Taiwan colorectal cancer patients. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN Three malnutrition criteria (body weight loss>5% over past 6 months, body mass index (BMI)<18.5 kg/m2, and hypoalbuminemia) and serum levels of glutamine and arginine were measured in 164 colorectal patients. Malnutrition status and serum glutamine and arginine concentrations were tested for their association with each other, as well as with the clinicopathological variables. RESULTS Of the 164 patients, 38 (23.5%) had body weight loss, 19 (11.9%) had low BMI, and 57 (35.8%) had hypoalbuminemia. The univariate analysis showed hypoalbuminemia was correlated with advanced tumour stage, lower concentrations of glutamine, higher C-reactive protein level, and progression-free survival rate. Univariate analysis also showed glutamine levels were lower in advanced tumour stage, but arginine levels were not associated with any clinicopathologic variables. Neither the nutrition criteria used in this study nor glutamine and arginine levels were correlated with hospital stay or progression-free survival rate in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Different nutrition assessment criteria produced different malnutrition rates in colorectal cancer patients; however, pre-treatment malnourished status and low serum glutamine and arginine concentrations were not correlated with hospital stay and progressionfree survival rate.