Prevalence of Malnutrition in Patients at First Medical Oncology Visit: the PreMiO Study

Overview

Journal Oncotarget

Specialty Oncology

Date 2017 Nov 8

PMID 29108370

Citations 133

Authors

Maurizio Muscaritoli

Simone Lucia

Alessio Farcomeni

Vito Lorusso

Valeria Saracino

Carlo Barone

Francesca Plastino

Stefania Gori

Roberto Magarotto

Giacomo Carteni

Bruno Chiurazzi

Ida Pavese

Luca Marchetti

Vittorina Zagonel

Eleonora Bergo

Giuseppe Tonini

Marco Imperatori

Carmelo Iacono

Luigi Maiorana

Carmine Pinto

Daniela Rubino

Luigi Cavanna

Roberto Di Cicilia

Teresa Gamucci

Silvia Quadrini

Salvatore Palazzo

Stefano Minardi

Marco Merlano

Giuseppe Colucci

Paolo Marchetti

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: In cancer patients, malnutrition is associated with treatment toxicity, complications, reduced physical functioning, and decreased survival. The Prevalence of Malnutrition in Oncology (PreMiO) study identified malnutrition or its risk among cancer patients making their first medical oncology visit. Innovatively, oncologists, not nutritionists, evaluated the nutritional status of the patients in this study.

Methods: PreMiO was a prospective, observational study conducted at 22 medical oncology centers across Italy. For inclusion, adult patients (>18 years) had a solid tumor diagnosis, were treatment-naive, and had a life expectancy >3 months. Malnutrition was identified by the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), appetite status with a visual analog scale (VAS), and appetite loss with a modified version of Anorexia-Cachexia Subscale (AC/S-12) of the Functional Assessment of Anorexia-Cachexia Therapy (FAACT).

Findings: Of patients enrolled (1,952), 51% had nutritional impairment; 9% were overtly malnourished, and 43% were at risk for malnutrition. Severity of malnutrition was positively correlated with the stage of cancer. Over 40% of patients were experiencing anorexia, as reported in the VAS and FAACT questionnaire. During the prior six months, 64% of patients lost weight (1-10 kg).

Interpretation: Malnutrition, anorexia, and weight loss are common in cancer patients, even at their first visit to a medical oncology center.

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