Nutritional Assessment of the Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma before Operation

Fumiaki Sasaki, Makoto Nishikawa, Hiroshi Kameda, Yoshie Une, Yoshinobu Hata, Junichi Uchino

First Department of Surgery, Hokkaido University, School of Medicine

The nutritioanl status of 46 patients with benign liver tumors and 69 with malignant liver tumor, were assessed by physical and biochemical examinations. The patients with malignant hepatic tumor and cirrhosis showed low values in the assessments of %ideal body weight (%IBW), %triceps skinfold (%TSF) and %arm muscle circumference (%AMC). Biochemical examination showed the same results. These findings indicate disturbed protein production in the liver and depressed protein storage in many organs in these patients. The serum α₁-microglobulin level was depressed in patients with malignant hepatic tumor and cirrhosis. This protein, a kind of rapid turnover protein, is thought to be marker protein that reflects the nutritional state and is thus useful for nutritional assessment. From these findings, it is clear that patients with malignant hepatic tumor and cirrhosis are in a state of malnutrition, and nutritioanl support for these patients is necessary before and after surgery.

Key words
nutritional assessment, hepatocellular carcinoma, fibronectin, α₁-microglobulin

Reprint requests
Fumiaki Sasaki First Department of Surgery, Hokkaido University, School of Medicine
Kita 15 Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060 JAPAN

Accepted
September 19, 1989

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