Albumin and Total Protein in Cancer Patients at Radiotherapy Clinic, Zimbabwe
Journal Title: Saudi Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences - Year 2017, Vol 3, Issue 10
Abstract
Abstract:Cancer is a major public health problem and a cause of morbidity and mortality in many parts of the world. On the other hand radiotherapy is one of the cancer treatment methods available but it has many side effects. Hypoalbuminaemia and hypoproteinaemia are common effects of radiotherapy and are often used to assess nutritional status of patients but there are few published reports on albumin and total protein levels in cancer patients on radiotherapy in Zimbabwe. Hence this study was carried out to determine the levels of serum albumin and total protein and compare levels in radiotherapy-exposed patients at Parirenyatwa Radiotherapy Clinic by type of cancer. A total of 63 cancer patients took part in this cross-sectional study, 30 had breast cancer while 18 had cervical cancer and 15 had prostate cancer. Samples were analysed using the Beckman Coulter AU680 Chemistry Analyser based on Bromocresol Green (BCG) method for albumin and the Biuret method for total protein, respectively. One way ANOVA was used for comparison of normally distributed data while the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for skewed data. Out of all cancer patients who took part in this study, 18 (28.6%) were hypoalbuminaemic and 3 (4.7%) had hypoproteinaemia. There was no significant difference between albumin and total protein of patients with different types of cancer. Prevalence of patients with hypoalbuminaemia (28.6%) and hypoproteinaemia (4.7%) was comparable to studies from other countries. High prevelance of hypoalbuminaemia is worrying in this context as it worsens prognosis of cancer patients. Keywords:albumin, cancer, radiotherapy, total protein, Zimbabwe.
Authors and Affiliations
Kudakwashe Nyarota, DanaiTavonga Zhou
Keywords
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