Physical Performance, Sarcopenia and Malnutrition-Basic Test Set for Everyday Use in Cancer Therapy

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Geriatrics
• Clinical Nutrition

Background:

• Physical performance, malnutrition, and sarcopenia screening are recommended for hematological-oncological patients.
• Current clinical practice faces challenges in routine implementation due to economic constraints and numerous testing options.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a practical, time-efficient compromise for routine malnutrition and sarcopenia testing in cancer patients.
• To reduce the time and resources required for diagnostic assessments.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, monocentric cohort study involving 29 cancer patients.
• Investigated time for malnutrition screening (PG-SGA long form), diagnostics (GLIM), and sarcopenia diagnostics (EWGSOP II).
• Utilized correlation analyses to identify and reduce redundant tests.

Main Results:

• Identified high prevalence of malnutrition (55.2%) and sarcopenia risk (20.7%) in the cohort.
• Initial assessment required 19 minutes, even by the third visit.
• Correlation analysis revealed that a reduced set of 3 assisted tests took only 6 minutes.

Conclusions:

• A three-test approach (grip strength, bioelectrical impedance analysis, Sit-to-Stand) diagnosed 96.6% of patients at risk.
• Reduced assessment time by 70%, making it suitable for daily clinical routine.
• This practical compromise facilitates guideline recommendations in routine care.