Influence of Protein Intake on Muscle Mass and Health-related Quality of Life During and After Radiotherapy

Many studies have shown that cancer patients have a very high prevalence of malnutrition. Several large-scale studies have reported that 50-80% of these patients are affected by involuntary weight loss, with the extent of weight loss depending on the tumor location and the type and stage of the disease. It has been widely reported that nutritional interventions are essential in cancer patients. Nevertheless, nutritional support is still not universally accessible to all patients. Given the prevalence of nutritional risks, the treatment of lean muscle mass loss remains a challenge in clinical practice. For this reason, a multidisciplinary approach with targeted nutritional therapy is crucial to improve the quality of care in oncology. A protein level of 1-1.2 g/kg bw is suggested for the maintenance of muscle mass.However, it has been shown that this amount is not sufficient to support ALM in patients with tumor diseases. Only an amount above 1.4 g/kg bw has been associated with a positive effect on muscle mass. Adequate dietary protein intake is essential for the maintenance of numerous physiological processes, including muscle protein synthesis and muscle function. Sufficient energy and protein intake is necessary to support muscle protein synthesis. The scientific literature frequently discusses the relationship between daily protein intake and its distribution over the main meals. The evening meal is particularly important for the maintenance of ALM.

• Weight in kg [Срок оценки: baseline, end of radiotherapy and 3 months after Radiotherapy]
• Muscle mass in kg [Срок оценки: baseline, end of radiotherapy and 3 months after Radiotherapy]
• Quality of Life (EORTC QLQ C30) in 5-tier likert scale (higher scores = better) [Срок оценки: baseline, end of radiotherapy and 3 months after Radiotherapy]
• Height in m [Срок оценки: baseline, end of radiotherapy and 3 months after Radiotherapy]
• Fatigue in 5-tier likert scale (higher scores = worse) [Срок оценки: baseline, end of radiotherapy and 3 months after Radiotherapy]
• BMI in kg/m² [Срок оценки: baseline, end of radiotherapy and 3 months after Radiotherapy]
• Treatment Toxicity via CTCA criteria (5 tier scale; higher = worse) [Срок оценки: baseline, weekly during radiotherapy, end of treatment, follow up (up to 1 year, on average every 3 months)]
• Treatment Toxicity via PROMs (5 tier scale; higher = worse) [Срок оценки: baseline, weekly during radiotherapy, end of treatment, follow up (up to 1 year, on average every 3 months)]