TTR and nutritional deficiency disease: However, patients with solid tumors seem to be more prone to developing malnutrition.11 A study by Schiavetti et al. (2001) found a malnutrition rate of 26% from weight-for-height indices among Italian children with solid tumors, during antineo-plastic therapy.12 Elhasid et al. (1999) evaluated biochemical indices rather than anthropometric indices among 50 children with solid tumors.13 They observed that 36% of them had prealbumin levels that were lower than normal at the time of diagnosis.