Monitoring Rates of Malnutrition Risk in Outpatient Cancer Centers Utilizing the Malnutrition Screening Tool Embedded into the Electronic Health Record.

BACKGROUND: The risk of malnutrition in patients with cancer is well documented. However, screening to identify patients at risk in ambulatory cancer centers is not standardized nor uniform. The 2-question Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) is validated in the ambulatory oncology setting and endorsed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. OBJECTIVE: To test the feasibility of operationalizing and standardizing malnutrition risk assessment across 2 large ambulatory cancer centers by embedding the MST into the electronic health record (EHR) with the goal of identifying and quantifying the prevalence of malnutrition risk in outpatient settings. DESIGN: A Quality Assurance Performance Improvement project was conducted to evaluate malnutrition screening practices by leveraging the EHR. Work standards were developed, implemented, and evaluated to assess the feasibility of utilizing de-identified MST data, entered as discrete variables in an EHR flowsheet, to track monthly MST completion rates and to identify and quantify patients being treated for cancer scoring at risk for impaired nutritional status. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Data from 2 large adult ambulatory community cancer centers in the upper Midwest were collected between April 2017 and December 2018. RESULTS: Over a 20-month period, the average monthly MST completion rate was 74%. Of those with completed MST screens, the average percentage of patients identified at nutritional risk (MST score ≥2) was 5% in medical oncology and 12% in radiation oncology. CONCLUSION: It is feasible to (1) integrate and standardize data collection of the MST into existing EHR flowsheets and (2) identify and quantify patients at risk for malnutrition on a consistent basis.

Short-term Preoperative Diet Decreases Bleeding After Partial Hepatectomy: Results From a Multi-institutional Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Our previous case series suggested that a 1-week, low-calorie and low-fat diet was associated with decreased intraoperative blood loss in patients undergoing liver surgery. OBJECTIVE: The current study evaluates the effect of this diet in a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: We randomly assigned 60 patients with a body mass index ≥25 kg/m(2) to no special diet or an 800-kcal, 20 g fat, and 70 g protein diet for 1 week before liver resection. Surgeons were blinded to diet assignment. Hepatic glycogen stores were evaluated using periodic acid Schiff (PAS) stains. RESULTS: Ninety four percent of the patients complied with the diet. The diet group consumed fewer daily total calories (807 vs 1968 kcal, P < 0.001) and fat (21 vs 86 g, P < 0.001) than the no diet group. Intraoperative blood loss was less in the diet group: mean blood loss 452 vs 863 mL (P = 0.021). There was a trend towards decreased transfusion in the diet group (138 vs 322 mL, P = 0.06). The surgeon judged the liver to be easier to manipulate in the diet group: 1.86 versus 2.90, P = 0.004. Complication rate (20% vs 17%), length of stay (median 5 vs 4 days) and mortality did not differ between groups. There was no difference in hepatic steatosis between groups. There was less glycogen in hepatocytes in the diet group (PAS stain score 1.61 vs 2.46, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: A short-course, low-fat, and low-calorie diet significantly decreases bleeding and makes the liver easier to manipulate in hepatic surgery.

Understanding Pancreatic Diseases Using Animated Pancreas Patient: Informing Patients for Better Health Outcomes With Visual Formats of Learning.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Animated Pancreas Patient (APP) educational modules (APP website and YouTube) on pancreas education, awareness, and health outcomes. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of APP metrics data from September 2013 to October 2017. We evaluated audience reach (number of visit sessions, unique visitors, page views) and calculated top views by media type (animation, expert video, patient video, and slide show) and top retention videos from the modules. We also assessed the educational impact through learner feedback survey. RESULTS: The APP had 1,475,252 views (547,693 unique visitors, 63.1% in United States) during the study period. Most popular topic viewed among the animations was "Role and Anatomy of the Pancreas" (n = 361,116), and most common expert video viewed was "Chronic Pancreatitis: What Foods and Beverages Should I Avoid?" (n = 31,667). Participants who completed the online feedback survey reported knowledge gains and commitments to change. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreas education in visual formats of learning provided by APP demonstrated wide reach and has substantial potential to inform and impact behaviors of patients and caregivers. Continued efforts should be made to provide patient resources that address health literacy and patient education and respond to patient needs for better quality of life and improved health outcomes in pancreatic diseases.

Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity: do they predict inferior oncologic outcomes after gastrointestinal cancer surgery?

Sarcopenia, or loss of skeletal muscle mass and quality, has been studied as part of aging and adverse health outcomes in elderly patients but has only recently been evaluated as a separate condition in cancer patients and important indicator of adverse outcomes. Currently, its definition and method of assessment are still being debated. Sarcopenia within an increasingly obese population has led to a subgroup with sarcopenic obesity, at even higher risk of adverse outcomes. Yet, sarcopenia often goes undiagnosed in these patients, hidden beneath higher body mass index. Identifying sarcopenic and sarcopenic obese subpopulations would allow for more effective treatment plans and potential avoidance of suboptimal outcomes, as well as the chance to intervene and combat these modifiable risk factors. This review will examine available literature on the definition and methods of evaluating sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity, summarize the effectiveness of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity as predictors of outcomes after gastrointestinal cancer surgery, including colorectal cancer resection, liver resection, and pancreatic resection, and outline strategies to minimize the impact of sarcopenia. It is clear that untreated sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity can be associated with suboptimal post-operative outcomes, especially infections and disease-free or overall survival.

Short-term preoperative diet modification reduces steatosis and blood loss in patients undergoing liver resection.

BACKGROUND: Steatosis and steatohepatitis have been associated with increased morbidity and mortality after liver resection. Our objective was to determine the effect of a preoperative calorie-restricted diet on steatosis and steatohepatitis in patients undergoing liver resection. METHODS: We studied 111 consecutive patients who had major elective hepatic resections. More than 90% of the patients had cancer resections. The mean body mass index was 27.2; 32% had a body mass index ≥30. A week-long calorie- and fat-restricted diet was instituted in the most recent patient group (n = 51). We retrospectively evaluated steatosis and steatohepatitis in the diet and no-diet control groups. Clinical outcomes of the 2 groups, including complications and blood loss, were compared. RESULTS: The preoperative diet patients had less steatosis (15.7% vs 25.5% of hepatocytes containing fat, P = .05) than the nondiet controls. A lower percentage of patients in the diet group had steatohepatitis than in the nondiet group (15% vs 27%, P =.02). Preoperative diet patients had less mean intraoperative blood loss than nondiet patients (600 mL vs 906 mL, P = .002). There was no difference in overall or infectious complications between the groups. CONCLUSION: We have shown for the first time that short-term calorie restriction before liver resection significantly reduces both hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis. Dietary modification also was associated with decreased intraoperative blood loss. This intervention is easily instituted; therefore, it is clinically feasible.

Effect of initiating a multidisciplinary care clinic on access and time to treatment in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE: Neoadjuvant therapy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma requires referral to multiple specialists before initiating therapy. We evaluated the effect of establishing a multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) for patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic adenocarcinoma on treatment access and time to therapy. METHODS: Patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic adenocarcinoma diagnosed and treated at our center were included. Two patient groups were defined: preclinic represented those patients diagnosed before 2008 and MDC represented those patients diagnosed since 2009 who were treated in the newly created MDC and were initially candidates for neoadjuvant therapy. The primary outcomes were days from diagnosis to first treatment (initiation of chemotherapy or external beam radiation), days to completion of all required consultations, and number of visits needed before initiation of therapy. RESULTS: Ninety-seven patients were diagnosed and treated at our medical center from 2003 to 2008; 22 were treated in 2009 after the implementation of the MDC. Compared with the preclinic group, patients treated in the MDC had shorter times from biopsy to treatment (7.7 days v 29.5 days, P < .001), shorter time to completion of all required pretreatment consultations (7.1 days v 13.9 days, P < .001), and fewer visits to complete all consultations (1.1 v 4.3, P < .001). Thirty-three percent of patients seen in the MDC enrolled onto clinical research trials. CONCLUSION: In patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma undergoing neoadjuvant therapy, the establishment of a multidisciplinary pancreas tumor clinic led to improved patient access to consultations and shorter time to initial treatment.