s u m m a r yBackground & aims: Malnutrition is a serious concern for children with cancer and nutrition screening may offer a simple alternative to nutrition assessment for identifying children with cancer who are at risk of malnutrition. The present paper aimed to evaluate the nutrition screening tool for childhood cancer (SCAN). Methods: SCAN was developed after an extensive review of currently available tools and published screening recommendation, consideration of pediatric oncology nutrition guidelines, piloting questions, and consulting with members of International Pediatric Oncology Nutrition Group. In Study 1, the accuracy and validity of SCAN against pediatric subjective global nutrition assessment (pediatric SGNA) was determined. In Study 2, subjects were classified as 'at risk of malnutrition' and 'not at risk of malnutrition' according to SCAN and measures of height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and body composition were compared between the groups. Results: The validation of SCAN against pediatric SGNA showed SCAN had 'excellent' accuracy (0.90, 95% CI 0.78e1.00; p < 0.001), 100% sensitivity, 39% specificity, 56% positive predictive value and 100% negative predictive value. When subjects in Study 2 were classified into 'at risk of malnutrition' and 'not at risk of malnutrition' according to SCAN, the 'at risk of malnutrition' group had significantly lower values for weight Z score (p ¼ 0.001), BMI Z score (p ¼ 0.001) and fat mass index (FMI) (p ¼ 0.04), than the 'not at risk of malnutrition' group. Conclusions: This study shows that SCAN is a simple, quick and valid tool which can be used to identify children with cancer who are at risk of malnutrition.

A child's appropriate development stems in large part from proper nutrition. Malnutrition is an adverse prognostic factor in children with cancer, and its prevalence is highly variable. Currently, there is no standardized definition and assessment method of nutritional status in pediatric oncology. A complete nutritional assessment includes anthropometry, biochemical, clinical, and dietary assessments. In this article, we explore these methods and suggest practical approaches for pediatric cancer units depending on the levels of care that these can provide. We also advise on the monitoring and follow‐up of children with cancer during and after treatment, and discuss potential areas for future research.

Background Undernutrition impacts clinical outcome adversely in children with cancer. This study aimed to validate a nutritional algorithm with specific application to the low‐ and middle‐income country (LMIC) setting. Procedure Fifty children with a new diagnosis of cancer were enrolled in this randomized interventional study. Weight, height/length, and mid‐upper‐arm circumference (MUAC) were measured at baseline. The study arm was administered nutritional care as per the algorithm and the control arm received the institutional standard of care. Weight was monitored regularly and MUAC was repeated after 3 months. Children were classified based on weight for height if <2 years of age or body mass index if ≥2 years, as normal, wasted, and severely wasted. The algorithmic approach comprised administration of oral supplements, nasogastric feeds, and/or parenteral nutrition based on objective assessment of the nutritional status. Results Fifty patients were analyzed (study: 25, control: 25). Four in the study arm (16%) and six in the control arm (24%) had wasting at baseline. MUAC was <5th percentile in 15 (60%) and 13 (52%) patients in the study and control arms, respectively. At the end of 3 months, the median increment in weight was 0.8 kg (interquartile range [IQR]: –0.02; 2.00) and 0.0 kg (IQR: –0.70; 1.25) in the study and control arms, respectively (P = .153). The median increment in MUAC was 1.20 cm (IQR: 0.10; 2.30) and 0.00 cm (IQR: –0.50; 1.10) in the study and control arms, respectively (P = .020). Conclusions The application of an algorithm designed for use in LMICs resulted in significant improvement in nutritional status, as measured by MUAC.

Although nutritional therapy is essential for the treatment of childhood cancer, it remains a challenge, especially within the developing world, where there are many barriers to optimizing treatment. The oral route is the first approach to nutritional support, however challenging this might be in children with cancer. Oral supplements are indicated in moderate evaluated nutritional risk patients and its use should consider the family's social conditions and access to industrialized oral supplements. If unavailable, homemade oral supplements can be used respecting regional accessibility, local foods, and culture. Nonetheless, many patients cannot sustain nutritional status on oral feeding alone and need to be supported by enteral tube feeding. Enteral feeding may be modified to accommodate the financial constraints of institution in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In some oncologic situations, however, enteral nutrition is not possible and parenteral nutrition is indicated, although only if the need for nutritional support is anticipated to be longer than 5-7 days. Nutritional support in pediatric oncology remains a challenge, especially in LMICs, however, it can be undertaken by getting the best out of the available resources.

Nutrition therapy is a therapeutic approach to treating medical conditions and symptoms via diet, which can be done by oral, enteral or parenteral routes. It is desirable to include nutritional interventions as a standard of care in pediatric cancer units (PCUs) at all levels of care. The interventions are dependent on available resources and personnel across all clinical settings. Enteral nutrition is easy, inexpensive, uses the gastrointestinal tract, maintains gut mucosal integrity, and allows for individualized nutritional strategies. This narrative review describes enteral nutritional interventions for children undergoing cancer treatment and is aimed at PCUs of all levels of care located in a low‐ and middle‐income country.

The Brazilian Nutritional Consensus in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Children and Adolescents was developed by dietitians, physicians, and pediatric hematologists from 10 Brazilian reference centers in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The aim was to emphasize the importance of nutritional status and body composition during treatment, as well as the main characteristics related to patient´s nutritional assessment. This consensus is intended to improve and standardize nutrition therapy during hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The consensus was approved by the Brazilian Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation.

Introduction Children and adolescents with cancer are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition and require special attention on nutritional assessment. An adequate nutritional status during treatment is essential in reducing morbidity and mortality, being a modifiable risk factor for clinical outcomes. This study aims to determine the nutritional status of pediatric patients with cancer assessed by the nutrition team at diagnosis and evaluate its association with the overall survival. Method This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients at the time of cancer diagnosis who had nutritional assessments when hospitalized or referred to the nutrition outpatient clinic. Nutritional status was classified by the mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and body mass index for age z-score (zBMI/A). The Cox regression analysis was used to determine the association between the nutritional status and overall survival, adjusting for gender, tumor group and age. Results The study included 366 patients. The prevalence of undernutrition varied from 8 to 23% and overweight, from 5 to 20%. The MUAC identified more children as undernourished than the zBMI/A in patients with solid and hematological tumors. There was no significant difference in the overall survival by malnutrition classified by the zBMI/A ( p =  0.1507) or MUAC ( p =  0.8135). When adjusted for gender, tumor group and age, the nutritional status classification by the zBMI/A (hazard ratio [HR], 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88–1.83; p =  0.209) and MUAC (HR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.61–1.44; p =  0.773) did not impact overall survival. Conclusion The nutritional status at diagnosis did not significantly impact the overall survival, which suggests there may have been a protective effect by successful nutritional intervention during the subsequent care.

PURPOSE The objective of this systematic review was to describe nutrition-related publications on children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer in Brazil. METHODS The methodology followed that of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Medline, LILACS (the Latin American & Caribbean Health Sciences Literature), and Embase were searched in April 2019, and data extraction and rating of methodologic study quality (according to the National Institutes of Health quality score assessment) were performed independently by reviewers. RESULTS Twenty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria, reporting on 3,509 patients from 1994 to 2018. Most of the studies (74%) were of poor quality in methodology and reporting. Different cancer diagnoses were included in 52% of studies, whereas acute leukemia was the exclusive focus in 41%. The majority of the articles (70%) were from institutions in the Southeast Region of Brazil, mainly the state of São Paulo (74%); no publications were from the North Region of the country. Twelve studies addressed nutritional status and body composition, reporting an abundance of malnourished patients in the Brazilian population of children and adolescents with cancer. Six studies on micronutrients pointed to possible deficiencies in this population, with a yet unclear but promising role for supplementation during treatment. CONCLUSION Evidence indicates that there is great interest in the impact of nutrition on childhood cancer treatment and clinical outcomes in Brazil. However, there is a need to focus on high-quality research, particularly with multicentric/national studies. This will help establish research priorities and better planned clinical interventions, adapted to each region of the country.