Abstract
Background: Cancer-related fatigue is one of the most common symptoms reported by cancer patients and is considered to be related to inflammation.
Objective: This study aimed to explore the effects of nutritional support based on the dietary anti-inflammatory index on cancer-related fatigue in lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial with 106 lung cancer patients who were divided into either the anti-inflammatory diet group (n = 53) or the usual diet group (n = 53) for 3 months. The primary outcome was cancer-related fatigue. Secondary outcomes included high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) concentrations, nutritional status, and quality of life. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to examine the effectiveness of this intervention.
Results: The anti-inflammatory diet improved fatigue (-1.99 +/- 1.78, P < .001), hs-CRP levels (-4.15 [-11.87, -0.58], P < .001), Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (-2.53 +/- 3.11, P = .030), and albumin concentrations (2.83 +/- 0.59, P < .001) compared with the usual diet after 3 months. Simultaneously, in the repeated-measures analysis of variance, the differences in fatigue (F = 5.536, P < .001), hs-CRP levels (F = 6.918, P < .001), and albumin concentrations (F = 2.727, P = .048) were statistically significant for the group-by-time interaction.
Conclusion: The study provided evidence for the positive effect of nutritional support based on the dietary anti-inflammatory index on cancer-related fatigue, hs-CRP levels, nutritional status, and quality of life in lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Implication for Practice: With an anti-inflammatory diet, nurses can help these patients improve their overall quality of life.