PP246 - MICRONUTRIENT INTAKE IN CHILDREN WITH CANCER
PP246
MICRONUTRIENT INTAKE IN CHILDREN WITH CANCER
L. Renting1,*, D. Froon-Torenstra1, S. Rutten1, E. Does1, P. van Golen1, N. van der Linden-de Munk1, M. Fiocco1,2,3, W. Tissing1,4, D. Kok5, M. van den Brink1
1Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, 2Mathematical Institute Leiden University, 3Medical Statistics, Department of Biomedical Data Science, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden , 4Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, 5Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
Rationale: Children with cancer may experience treatment-related side effects that affect food intake, consequently leading to adverse clinical outcomes. The area of micronutrient intake in the context of pediatric oncology is vastly understudied. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether the micronutrient intake in children with cancer changes during and after treatment, and compared the intake with two different norms.
Methods: Data on dietary intake (including oral nutritional supplements and tube feeding) were collected using 3-day food records at 6 weeks, 3, and 6 months after diagnosis, and after active treatment. Due to the presence of repeated measurements, linear mixed models (LMM) were used to estimate changes in micronutrient intake over time. Subsequently, micronutrient intake was compared with recommended daily allowances (RDA) and intake of healthy Dutch children according to the National Food Consumption Survey (2019-2021).
Results: In this longitudinal analysis, 130 children with a hematological (75%), solid (22%), or brain malignancy (3%) were included and 300 food records were completed. LMM showed no significant changes in micronutrient intake over time. The intake of vitamin B3, D, folate, calcium, zinc, and iron was lower than recommended (<80% of RDA) in most of the children with cancer. Especially the intake of vitamin D was insufficient (median intake of 2.1 µg/day). In subgroup analyses limited to patients who received a feeding intervention, more patients achieved the RDA (>80%) for almost all micronutrients compared to the whole study population. We observed no statistically significant differences in the micronutrient intake between children with cancer and healthy Dutch children.
Conclusion: Micronutrient intake in children with cancer is suboptimal. Future research should focus on the potential relationship of micronutrient intake with clinical outcomes in children with cancer.
Disclosure of Interest: None declared