Food Consumption Patterns and Nutritional Impact Symptoms Among Adults Undergoing Antineoplastic Treatment: A Cross-Sectional Study

Cancer treatment is frequently associated with gastrointestinal and sensory symptoms that may interfere with food consumption and compromise patients' nutritional status. This study aimed to characterize food consumption patterns, determine the prevalence of nutritional impact symptoms, and investigate the associations among treatment-related nutritional impact symptoms in adults undergoing antineoplastic treatment. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 21 adult cancer patients receiving antineoplastic treatment in southern Brazil. Food consumption patterns were assessed using a structured Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), while nutritional impact symptoms were evaluated using a structured questionnaire. Associations were analyzed using Kendall's Tau correlation coefficient, with statistical significance established at p < 0.05. The study population consisted predominantly of women with breast cancer. Fatigue was the most prevalent symptom (52.38%), followed by xerostomia (33.33%), dysgeusia and loss of appetite (28.57%), nausea and vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea (19.05%), and anosmia (9.52%). Significant positive correlations were observed between fatigue and diarrhea (τ = 0.462, p = 0.039), fatigue and nausea and vomiting (τ = 0.533, p = 0.017), nausea and vomiting and xerostomia (τ = 0.791, p < 0.001), nausea and vomiting and anosmia (τ = 0.580, p = 0.009), and anosmia with xerostomia (τ = 0.459, p = 0.040) and dysgeusia (τ = 0.513, p = 0.022). Carbohydrate-rich foods were the most frequently consumed food group, whereas reported water intake was generally low. No statistically significant associations were observed between food consumption frequency and nutritional impact symptoms. These findings indicate that nutrition impact symptoms frequently coexist in patients undergoing antineoplastic treatment and reinforce the importance of routine nutritional assessment for the early identification of symptom burden and dietary habits that may affect nutritional care. Further longitudinal studies with larger samples and more comprehensive dietary assessment methods are warranted.