Assessment of a threat of hypomagnesemia in patients with cancer, based on patients medication record and dietary questionnaire

Magnesium deficiency among oncological patients is a complex condition. Hypomagnesaemia is observed during anti-cancer chemotherapy and during treatment of certain co-existing disorders. Assessing the magnesium status is difficult, as serum levels have little correlation with the total body magnesium status. Thus, the aim of this study was to provide more recent data about possible causes of magnesium insufficiency among oncological patients with the focus on the health status, pharmacological treatment and intake of magnesium-rich food products. 380 oncological patients (304 reliable surveys) with concurrent chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery from the Clinical Department of Oncological Surgery, MSW Hospital, Olsztyn, Poland were reviewed retrospectively between January 2013 and April 2016. The mean magnesium dietary intake was 224 mg daily among women and 295 mg per day among men, which was found insufficient. Consumption of some food products rich in magnesium such as cacao, legumes, nuts and seeds was found to be scarce. Dietary supplementation of magnesium was also inadequate (3%). In addition, high daily consumption of coffee (67.1%) and strong tea (81.85%) was reported. Moreover, obesity (47.8%) together with gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhoea and vomiting (52%) persisted, which may have further contributed to magnesium deficiency. Patient medication record has also revealed previous intake of some drugs that are implicated in the development of hypomagnesemia. Regular monitoring for enteritis and hypomagnesemia with timely intervention as well as inclusion of magnesium-rich food products in daily diet could help improve compliance, decrease the incidence of treatment interruptions and thereby help achieve the optimum treatment outcome.