PD684 - EARLY NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTION PRESERVES NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND PREVENTS WEIGHT LOSS IN CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SYSTEMIC THERAPY

PD684

EARLY NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTION PRESERVES NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND PREVENTS WEIGHT LOSS IN CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SYSTEMIC THERAPY

M. Petrova^1,*, M. Eneva², S. Draganova¹, I. Donev¹

¹Medical Oncology, ²Hospital Pharmacy, MHAT Nadezhda, Sofia, Bulgaria

Rationale: Cancer-related nutritional deterioration contributes to morbidity, reduced treatment tolerance, and poorer outcomes. We evaluated whether early nutritional assessment and counselling mitigate weight loss and nutritional decline in patients initiating systemic anticancer therapy.

Methods: In this prospective comparative study, patients with newly diagnosed malignancies before systemic therapy were allocated to an intervention group receiving early nutritional assessment and regular dietary counselling based on ESPEN recommendations, or to usual care without structured nutritional intervention. Nutritional status was assessed using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), and quality of life using Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy (FAACT) and Trial Outcome Index (TOI). Assessments were performed at baseline and 3 months. Wilcoxon and Mann–Whitney U tests were used (p<0.05).

Results: A total of 148 patients (57.5±12.4 years) were included in the intervention group and 57 (58.1±13.2 years) in the control group. At baseline, ≥5% weight loss was present in 31.1% and 40.4%, respectively. Body weight remained stable in the intervention group at 3 months (70.5 vs 69.8 kg; p=0.153), while it decreased in controls (70.4 vs 68.4 kg; p<0.001). PG-SGA, TOI, and FAACT scores were maintained with intervention. FACIT fatigue score decreased (32.6 vs 31.4; p=0.002). Patients with ≥5% weight loss had worse baseline status; at 3 months, these differences were no longer observed in the intervention group. In high-risk patients, nutritional status improved (PG-SGA: 10.1 vs 7.6; p=0.004).

Conclusion: Early nutritional intervention based on ESPEN recommendations mitigates weight loss and improves nutritional status, particularly in high-risk patients, supporting early integration into routine oncological care.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared