Measurement of Hyperglycemia and Impact on Health Outcomes in People With Cancer: Challenges and Opportunities.
Susan Storey, Diane Von Ah, Marilyn J Hammer
PMID 28632250WHAT IT FOUND
In adults with cancer, studies used very different blood glucose thresholds and measurement methods.
Hyperglycemia was linked to toxicity and survival in the studies that assessed those outcomes, but findings for infection, mortality, and length of stay were inconsistent.
Key findings
0129 quantitative studies met the inclusion criteria, and 25 used a retrospective design.
02Blood glucose thresholds varied among the reviewed studies, and only one study reported a prevalence calculation formula.
03Hyperglycemia was associated with treatment toxicity in all six studies that assessed it and with survival in the two studies that assessed it.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review included mostly retrospective studies, so it cannot show that hyperglycemia caused poor outcomes. The studies used different blood glucose thresholds, measurement types, timing, and sample sources, making comparison difficult. Only one study reported a prevalence formula, so the true frequency of hyperglycemia in adults with cancer is unclear. Findings were inconsistent for mortality, infection, and length of stay, and some outcomes were studied too little to compare. No study examined whether the source of blood glucose measurement affected health-related outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that any single blood glucose threshold or test reliably predicts poor outcomes in adults with cancer. The reviewed studies used different thresholds, glucose sources, timing, and outcome definitions, and several outcomes had inconsistent associations.