Usefulness of Smartphone Application for Improving Nutritional Status of Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Summary

Malnutrition of hospitalized patients is reported in the range of 20-60% according to the definition and assessment method of malnutrition.

In particular, the incidence of malnutrition in cancer patients is high up to 30-85%.

Gastrointestinal disease is related to the digestion and absorption of nutrition therefore malnutrition rate of those patients is relatively high. Careful management of nutrition support is needed.

Malnutrition causes dysfunction of the mesenteric membrane, immune function impairment, decreased function of major organs such as liver, kidney and heart and alteration in pharmacodynamics. It could also increase infection rate and complications of chemotherapy, delay recovery time, so that increase morbidity, mortality and length of hospital stay.

Proper nutrition management reduces malnutrition prevalence and medical costs of hospitalized patient, therefore nutrition screening and evaluation is necessary. The recent spread of smartphones has made it easier to record and evaluate meals, which are used in the diet market for weight loss through meal records and feedback based on smartphone applications. This approach is also expected to benefit patients with gastrointestinal cancer, where proper nutrition and feedback are important. In particular, pancreatic cancer, the worst intractable cancer of mankind, is digestive cancer with the most severe muscle mass reduction and nutritional deterioration after diagnosis.

Conditions

• Pancreatic Cancer

Interventions

OTHER

Smart phone application(NOOM)

The study population included first diagnosis of pancreatic cancer patients within 3 months of pancreatic cancer center visit, and randomly assigned to the use of Noom user group and non-use group. A total of 40 patients, 20 from each group, were used to examine nutritional status(PG-SGA), blood index analysis, and quality of life(EORTC QLQ) at 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. At the same time, the patients voluntarily record meals and receive feedback using Noom. The purpose and contents of this study are explained in detail to the subjects, and written consent is obtained. The questionnaire items included gender, age, weight, type of diagnosed digestive disease, treatment method, nutritional supplement, oral status and intake of oral supplement foods, and past medical history. To assess the nutritional status using laboratory data, blood(about 8ml) is collected for each visit.

OTHER

Non-user

The patients dose not use Noom application. A total of 40 patients, 20 from each group, were used to examine nutritional status (PG-SGA), blood index analysis, and quality of life (EORTC QLQ) at 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The purpose and contents of this study are explained in detail to the subjects, and written consent is obtained. The questionnaire items included gender, age, weight, type of diagnosed digestive disease, treatment method, nutritional supplement, oral status and intake of oral supplement foods, and past medical history. To assess the nutritional status using laboratory data, blood (about 8ml) is collected for each visit. At each visit, you will be assessed nutritional status and quality of life through the PG-SGA and EORTC QLQ.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Yonsei University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

20 Years

Max Age

70 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-02-22

Primary Completion

2018-03-27

Completion

2018-03-27

Countries

• South Korea

Study Locations