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Background Elderly cancer patients are at higher risk of developing cachexia and adverse events due to antineoplastic treatments. Comprehensive Geriatric assessment (CGA) is used to evaluate the health status of elderly to identify impairments/frailty and better assess the risk/benefit ratio of therapeutic decisions. Malnutrition is an independent risk factor that further influences patients’ outcomes and should be systematically screened at hospital admission. The G8 screening tool allows to identify patients who might benefit from CGA and could help clinicians to evaluate nutritional and health status in elderly cancer patients. The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) are other standardized nutritional screening tests too. The aim of the study was to demonstrate that the use of a single tool is not enough to assay the real nutritional status of cancer patients. Methods The study involved 533 patients (282 men and 251 women) affected by solid tumor and aged ≥ 70 years old. Patients underwent CGA and MNA to quantify the risk of frailty and malnutrition. Anthropometric assessments, serum levels of albumin, the activities of daily living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), as well as the rating scale of mental status SPMSQ (Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire), were also performed. Results. Less than the half of patients had a G8 score and MNA that excluded malnutrition, whereas the most enrolled patients were at high risk for frailty and malnutrition. Anthropometric parameters and serum albumin levels alone were not able to detect malnutrition in all patients, while the association of GNRI with G8, MNA, and CGA scores allowed to specifically determine health risk in 95% of malnourished patients. Conclusions. The malnutrition risk could not be assessed by using a single score. The association of multiple information is required to define malnutrition’s risk among elderly people. |
