Nutritional screening in a cancer prehabilitation programme: A cohort study

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Nutritional Science
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Pre-operative malnutrition is common in cancer patients.
• Current nutritional screening practices may not be fully adequate for prehabilitation programs.
• Understanding the link between nutritional status, functionality, and quality of life is essential for optimizing cancer care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the appropriateness of current nutritional screening tools within a prehabilitation setting.
• To investigate the association between identified nutritional risk and patient functionality and quality of life.
• To inform strategies for improving pre-operative nutritional support in cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• A cohort study involving 526 cancer patients (colorectal, lung, oesophago-gastric) undergoing surgery.
• Nutritional assessment using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) Short-Form.
• Quality of life and functionality measured by EuroQol-5 Dimensions, EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale, and a sit-to-stand test.
• Statistical analysis using adjusted logistic regression to determine associations.

Main Results:

• 44% of patients (233/526) were identified as being at nutritional risk (PG-SGA score ≥ 2) pre-operatively.
• During prehabilitation, 31% of patients showed improvement in PG-SGA scores, and 74% maintained or improved their weight.
• Poorer quality of life and lower sit-to-stand test performance were significantly associated with higher nutritional risk.

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of cancer patients in prehabilitation programs are at risk of malnutrition.
• Nutritional risk is linked to diminished quality of life and physical function.
• The findings highlight the need for robust nutritional screening and intervention within prehabilitation to improve patient outcomes.