LB083 - MALNUTRITION & SARCOPENIA SCREENING IN ONCOLOGY OUTPATIENTS

LB083

MALNUTRITION & SARCOPENIA SCREENING IN ONCOLOGY OUTPATIENTS

E. Mills¹, H. Webster^1,*, M. Baxter², R. Stewart¹, N. Bozyk¹

¹Oncology Team, Nutrition and Dietetics, Ninewells Hospital, ²University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom

Rationale: Malnutrition and sarcopenia are common in cancer patients leading to poor treatment tolerance, complications and reduced function. Guidance recommends early nutritional screening/assessment and prehabilitation, but implementation varies. The aim of the analysis was to evaluate malnutrition and sarcopenia risk in oncology outpatients and compare screening tool utility in cancer care.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 292 new oncology outpatients screened for malnutrition and sarcopenia at a Scottish cancer centre over 5 months. Screening included PG-SGA SF, ‘MUST’, PRONTO and SARC-F, alongside BMI, calf circumference (CC) and grip strength (HGS). GLIM criteria were used as the reference standard for malnutrition assessment. ROC analysis, sensitivity, specificity and agreement testing were performed.

Results: GLIM-defined malnutrition prevalence was 29.2%. Screening prevalence varied by tool, with patients identified at risk including; ‘MUST’ ≥2 - 10.6%, PG-SGA SF ≥4 - 38.7% and PRONTO - 49%. PG-SGA SF showed the strongest diagnostic performance against GLIM (AUC 0.93), compared with PRONTO (0.80) and ‘MUST’ (0.77). ‘MUST’ showed high specificity but poor sensitivity, suggesting under-identification of at-risk patients. PRONTO demonstrated high sensitivity and modest specificity. Agreement between PG-SGA SF and PRONTO was substantial (k=0.67), but weak between ‘MUST’ and PG-SGA SF. Sarcopenia risk (SARC-F ≥4) was identified in 20.2% of patients, with lower HGS and CC linked to higher SARC-F scores.

Conclusion: Malnutrition and sarcopenia risk are common in patients attending new oncology appointments and may be under-recognised using only ‘MUST’. Oncology-specific tools such as PG-SGA SF and PRONTO identified greater nutritional risk and may support earlier intervention. Standardised implementation of screening tools may improve consistency of nutritional assessment and reduce inequalities in access to care/prehabilitation.

Disclosure of Interest: E. Mills Grant / Research Support from: This project was funded by an Abbott educational grant. , H. Webster Grant / Research Support from: This project was funded by an Abbott educational grant. , M. Baxter Grant / Research Support from: This project was funded by an Abbott educational grant. , R. Stewart Grant / Research Support from: This project was funded by an Abbott educational grant. , N. Bozyk Grant / Research Support from: This project was funded by an Abbott educational grant.