Validación del tamizaje cribado nutricional cáncer pediátrico para predecir la desnutrición infantil en pacientes oncológicos, Hospital Dr. Francisco Icaza Bustamante de Guayaquil, provincia del Guayas, enero a julio 2022.

Abstract

The objective of this research was to validate the screening tool "Pediatric Cancer Nutritional Screening" to predict childhood malnutrition in oncology patients, at Dr. Francisco Icaza Bustamante Hospital, Guayaquil, Guayas Province, from January to July 2022. The methodology used allowed comparing the diagnostic accuracy of the screening tool "Pediatric Cancer Nutritional Screening" with the anthropometric assessment using the indicators Body Mass Index/Age, Weight/Height, Weight/Age, Height/Age, Arm Muscle Area/Age and Arm Fat Area/Age; in a sample of 103 children and adolescents hospitalized for cancer. The results concerning the use of anthropometric indicators such as Arm Muscle Area/Age (36.9%) and Arm Fat Area/Age (45.6%) had greater precision for the identification of stunting; figures that were similar to those obtained by the screening "Pediatric Cancer Nutritional Screening" through diagnostic accuracy tests (67. 3% sensitivity, 94.1% specificity and area under the curve 0.89) and (76.9% sensitivity, 86.3% specificity and area under the curve 0.817) respectively. Among the Conclusions and Recommendations, it was highlighted that the screening tool "Pediatric Cancer Nutritional Screening" is useful, easy to reproduce and low cost for the recognition of nutritional risk in pediatric oncology patients because it records the anatomical changes of brachial measurements. Therefore, its inclusion in the initial evaluation of the patient and accordance with his clinical evolution was recommended.