title: Relationship between pre-treatment nutritional status, serum glutamine, arginine levels and clinicopathological features in Taiwan colorectal cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between malnutrition criteria, serum glutamine and arginine concentrations, and clinicopathological features in Taiwan colorectal cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung and Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Division of Hemato-oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung and Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Pei-Hung
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Division of Colorectal Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung and Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chung-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Division of Colorectal Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung and Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Ko
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.affiliation: Division of Hemato-oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung and Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jen-Seng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung and Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chih-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Division of Hemato-oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kweishan and Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Chi
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.affiliation: Division of Hemato-oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung and Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Hsu
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Division of Hemato-oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung and Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taiwan. Email: yehtyng@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kun-Yun
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Yeh
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001120:Arginine / Q000097:blood*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005973:Glutamine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D034141:Hypoalbuminemia; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D013624:Taiwan; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D005973:Glutamine; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D001120:Arginine