Validity and Reliability of a Nutritional Screening Tool (SCAN) in Children Newly Diagnosed with Cancer

Abstract

No standardized approach towards nutritional screening and assessment of pediatric oncology patients has been established. The nutrition screening tool for childhood cancer (SCAN) has been previously published as an effective screening method. This is an observational cross-sectional study to assess the validity and reliability of the SCAN tool, compare it to the detection of undernutrition using standard measures of assessment, and determine the overall prevalence of malnutrition and micronutrients alterations in our cohort. We included children newly diagnosed with cancer in a pediatric tertiary hospital in Madrid, Spain from August 2018 to May 2019. The following measurements were performed: SCAN questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, nutritional markers in blood, and micronutrient levels. A total of 49 patients were included. 22 patients (45%) were at risk of malnutrition according to the SCAN questionnaire. Four patients (8%) could be diagnosed with moderate undernutrition. These undernourished patients were distributed homogeneously among at-risk and not at-risk populations identified by the SCAN tool. Several micronutrient deficiencies were identified. We conclude that the SCAN questionnaire is an easy-to-use tool for everyday clinical practice. By not including anthropometric measurements it misses patients considered to be malnourished. Future data might help clarify if it is an effective tool in predicting a higher nutritional risk during the entire treatment course.

Acknowledgments

We thank all supporting staff for their implication in this study, as well as patients and their families for their selfless collaboration and effort.

Authors Contribution

Gustavo Cañedo: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – original draft. Laura María Palomino Pérez: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation. Laura Puerta Macfarland: Investigation. David Ruano Dominguez: Conceptualization, Supervision. Elvira Cañedo Villaroya: Conceptualization, Methodology. Beatriz Garcia Alcolea: Investigation. Luis Madero López: Supervision, Project administration. Consuelo Pedrón-Giner: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – Review & Editing, Supervision, Project administration.

Conflicts of Interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethics Approval

This study has been carried out in accordance with The Code Of Ethics of The World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki). This study was approved by our local Ethics Committee before patient enrollment (R-0045/18).

Consent to Participate

Patients received an information sheet and were informed of the study goals and duration. Written informed consent was obtained from one of both parents and from patients over 12 years of age.

Availability of Data and Material

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and its supplementary materials.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sections.