Facteurs associés à l’état nutritionnel des patients cancéreux : Cas des patients fréquentant les services d’oncologie des 3 hôpitaux de la province Bujumbura, au Burundi

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer-related malnutrition is common and is a factor associated with a poor prognosis. In Europe, its prevalence ranges from 30 to 80%. The objective of our study was to investigate factors associated with the nutritional status of cancer patients in order to improve their care at three hospitals with oncology departments in Bujumbura, Burundi: the CMCK, the CHUK, and the Tanganyika Care Hospital. Methodology: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study was conducted among 281 cancer patients recruited from the oncology departments of three hospitals in Bujumbura Province. Data collection took place from January 5 to March 4, 2026. Nutritional status was assessed using body mass index (BMI) and the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA). Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were performed using STATA version 15. Associations were estimated using odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals, and the significance threshold was set at p < 0.05. Results: The results show that 57.30% (95% CI [51.6–63%]) of cancer patients have an abnormal nutritional status; that is, 35.93% are malnourished, 14.54% are overweight, and 6.79% are obese. Multivariate analysis identified several factors significantly associated with the nutritional status of cancer patients, notably male gender (OR = 4.60; 95% CI [2.28–9.29], p < 0.001); marital status for those in a relationship (married or cohabiting): (OR = 0.17; 95% CI [0.05–0.57]; p = 0.004); occupation: civil servants (OR = 0.28; 95% CI [0.10–0.75]; p = 0.011) and merchants (OR = 0.16; 95% CI [0.06–0.42]; p < 0.001); disease duration exceeding 12 months (OR = 3.34; 95% CI [1.41–7.90]; p = 0.006); and cancer stage, with a progressive increase in risk at stage II (OR = 6.14; 95% CI [1.65–22.83], p = 0.007), stage III (OR = 8.57; 95% CI [2.67–27.51], p < 0.001), and stage IV (OR = 10.21; 95% CI [3.25–32.06], p < 0.001); 2 to 3 meals per day (OR = 0.38; 95% CI [0.15–0.98], p = 0.046) and more than 3 meals (OR = 0.26; 95% CI [0.10–0.69], p = 0.007); treatment duration longer than 6 months (OR = 0.45; 95% CI [0.20–0.82], p = 0.049); and, finally, the presence of moderate side effects (OR = 4.96; 95% CI [1.85–13.28], p = 0.010) and severe side effects (OR = 3.46; 95% CI [1.35–8.88], p = 0.001). Conclusion: The study highlights the factors associated with the nutritional status of cancer patients, underscoring the need for comprehensive, integrated, and early care for these patients in order to improve their quality of life and prognosis.