masterThesis
Frequência de parasitos intestinais em pacientes oncológicos atendidos em um centro de referência no estado do Rio Grande do Norte
Fecha
2022-04-29Registro en:
LEITE, Brenda Santos. Frequência de parasitos intestinais em pacientes oncológicos atendidos em um centro de referência no estado do Rio Grande do Norte. 2022. 101f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Biologia Parasitária) - Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 2022.
Autor
Leite, Brenda Santos
Resumen
There are few studies in the literature that report the frequency of opportunistic
intestinal parasites in cancer patients, whether or not they are undergoing cancer
treatment. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of
intestinal parasites in cancer patients in order to show whether there is a
relationship between their presence, the patient's health status and the
performance of cancer treatment, in addition to establishing an association with
their social, economic and behavioral characteristics. For this, fresh stool
samples were collected from 67 cancer patients, whether or not they were
undergoing treatment. The samples were analyzed through parasitological
examinations of feces using the Holffman, Pons and Janer (HPJ), Willis-Mollay
and Rugai, Mattos and Brizola methods and a questionnaire was applied on
socioeconomic aspects, eating habits and hygiene. The collected data were
analyzed using descriptive statistics, contingency tables and Chi-Square test, in
the R ® software at 5% significance. Most patients self-reported as white and
mixed race (82%), female (85%), urban dwellers (86.5%), had elementary
education (40.3%) and worked autonomously (34, 3%). The positivity of the stool
parasitological exams was 46.3%, with 74.2% being characterized as
monoparasitic infection and 25.8% as multiple infection. Endolimax nana (35%)
and Entamoeba coli (35%) were prevalent, followed by Entamoeba histolytica,
Giardia lamblia, Hymenolepis spp. eggs, and hookworms. The age group most
affected by the frequency of intestinal parasites was 30 to 59 years old, being
women and undergoing cancer treatment. Regarding the location of the tumor,
87% of parasitized patients had breast cancer There was no relationship
between the incidence of intestinal parasites and the type of cancer, cancer
treatment and symptoms (p>0.05). Thus, it is suggested that immunosuppression
resulting from the disease itself and/or the oncological treatment did not interfere
with the functioning of the patient's immune system to the point of making him
more susceptible to acquiring intestinal parasites.