Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in resting energy expenditure （REE） and body weight before surgery and at hospital discharge in patients with head and neck cancer and to identify factors affecting REE.
Twenty-five participants with head and neck cancer were enrolled. The paired t-test was used to compare REE and body weight between before surgery and at discharge, and multiple regression analysis was used to identify predictors of the amount of change in REE. Significance was set at the 5％ level.
REE and weight were significantly different between before surgery and at discharge. A regression equation for the amount of change in REE was developed using three predictors: score on the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form （MNAⓇ-SF）, amount of change in C-reactive protein （CRP） and TNM classification.
Given that body weight and REE were significantly decreased at discharge compared with before surgery, sufficient nutrition should be provided after surgery to reduce the risk of nutritional deficiency. MNAⓇ-SF score was found to be a negative predictor and amount of change in CRP was found to be a positive predictor of the change in REE. Our results indicate that attention to the perioperative Mini Nutritional Assessment score and the amount of change in CRP is needed for proper nutrition support and to minimize the amount of change in REE.
