Improving the Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Chemotherapy Patients With Egg Protein Supplementation: Evidence From an Experimental Study

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women around the globe; both cancer and its treatment influence breast cancer patients' food intake behaviors and quality of life (QoL). Standard egg protein was supplemented to breast cancer chemotherapy patients, and QoL was assessed. Methods: A total of 63 breast cancer chemotherapy patients were included in the study. The QoL Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-30, Version-3) of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) was used to measure the QoL. The Intervention Group (n=33) received one whole boiled egg and two boiled egg whites per day for 12 weeks, while the Control Group did not. Socioeconomic and cancer-related data, dietary intake, anthropometric measurement (height, weight), biochemical indices (WBC, RBC, platelet count, serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), serum creatinine, and albumin), and QoL data were collected at three timelines (Baseline, Follow-up at six weeks, and Endline after 12 weeks). Results: Mean quality of life scores increased from baseline (3.8, 95%CI: 3.5-4.1) to the endline (4.48, 95%CI: 4.3-4.8) in the Intervention Group, while those decreased in the Control Group (n=30) from 4.6 (95%CI: 4.3-4.9) to 3.8 (95%CI: 3.4-3.9). However, weight gain was static (P>0.05) for cases, despite the Control Group losing weight significantly across the three timelines (P=0.03). The biochemical profile revealed that time-dependent increments of lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and albumin levels occurred only in the Intervention Group (P < 0.05), while insignificant changes were observed in the Control Group across the timelines (P > 0.05). Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) revealed that last week's health-activity score (P<0.001), BMI (P=0.003), calorie intake/day (P=0.015), and egg-protein intake/day (P=0.047) were significant time-varying predictors associated with QoL scores. Conversely, non-time-dependent predictors (socioeconomic and cancer-related variables) were found to be insignificant. Conclusion: Improved QoL scores in the intervention group strongly correlated with the immunonutritional influence of standard egg protein.