PG-SGA SF in nutrition assessment and survival prediction for elderly patients with cancer

Value of the modified Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment in indicating the need for nutrition intervention and predicting overall survival in patients with malignant tumors in at least two organs

BACKGROUND

Although the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) is a reference standard used to assess a patient's nutrition status, it is cumbersome to administer. The aim of the present study was to estimate the value of a simpler and easier-to-use modified PG-SGA (mPG-SGA) to evaluate the nutrition status and need for intervention in patients with malignant tumors present in at least two organs.

METHODS

A total of 591 patients (343 male and 248 female) were included from the INSCOC study. A Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to assess the correlation between the mPG-SGA and nutrition-related factors, with the optimal cut-off defined by a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). The consistency between the mPG-SGA and PG-SGA was compared in a concordance analysis. A survival analysis was used to determine the effects of nutritional intervention among different nutrition status groups. Univariable and multivariable Cox analyses were applied to evaluate the association of the mPG-SGA with the all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

The mPG-SGA showed a negative association with nutrition-related factors. Individuals with an mPG-SGA ≥ 5 (rounded from 4.5) were considered to need nutritional intervention. Among the malnourished patients (mPG-SGA ≥ 5), the overall survival (OS) of those who received nutrition intervention was significantly higher than that of patients who did not. However, the OS was not significantly different in the better-nourished patients (mPG-SGA < 5).

CONCLUSION

Our findings support that the mPG-SGA is a feasible tool that can be used to guide nutritional interventions and predict the survival of patients with malignant tumors affecting at least two organs.

A convenient calf proportion index calculator for survival prediction in overweight and obese patients with cancer

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to define the calf proportion index (CPI) and investigate its association with malnutrition and survival in overweight and obese patients with cancer.

METHODS

This multicenter observational cohort study included 3499 patients diagnosed with cancer, including 3145 overweight and 354 obese individuals. The CPI was defined as the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the calf circumference (CC) to the body surface area (BSA). A CPI calculator that automatically calculated the CPI and survival probability based on the patient's sex, height, weight, and CC was developed.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 44.1 months, 935 deaths were recorded. Receiver operating characteristic curves revealed that the CPI was better than CC and BSA as a predictor of survival, with AUCs for the 3-year mortality rate were 0.574, 0.553 and 0.529, respectively. In overweight and obese patients with cancer, the optimal CPI cut-off value was 0.65 % for men and 0.57 % for women. The Kaplan-Meier curve revealed that patients with a low CPI had lower survival. After adjusting confounding factors, a low CPI was an independent risk factor for overweight (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.29, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-1.51, P < 0.001) and obesity (HR: 1.92, 95 % CI: 1.20-3.09, P = 0.007) in patients with cancer. The CPI exhibited significant prognostic value in patients with lung and digestive system cancers. The risk of malnutrition was significantly higher in patients with a low CPI (HR: 1.25, 95 % CI: 1.04-1.50, P = 0.019).

CONCLUSIONS

The CPI is a useful prognostic indicator in overweight and obese patients with cancer, especially in obese patients.

Are sarcopenia, frailty and malnutrition prognostic markers of liver disease decompensation in the ambulatory setting? - A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

sarcopenia, frailty and malnutrition are associated with adverse outcomes in liver cirrhosis. Studies assessing the prognostic value of these conditions in ambulatory patients with cirrhosis are scarce.

METHODS

a prospective cohort study was performed, with consecutive inclusion of all patients with cirrhosis observed in the Hepatology outpatient clinic of a Portuguese tertiary center. At study enrolment, evaluation of muscle mass (ultrasound quadriceps femoris thickness), muscle strength (handgrip dynamometry) and nutritional status (Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form) were performed. Follow-up ended upon the occurrence of a composite endpoint, comprising of liver decompensation events and liver-related death, or last medical appointment/non-liver related death before the end of the study. The prognostic value of anthropometrical parameters and nutritional status in the composite endpoint was assessed using a multivariate Cox regression analysis, adjusted for several confounders.

RESULTS

ninety patients were enrolled (80 % male), with a mean age of 63.5 ± 10.5 years. The median follow-up was 30 (interquartile range 38) weeks, during which, 12 patients reached the composite endpoint. These patients presented a lower mean handgrip strength (23.1 ± 6.41 vs 30.3 ± 10.4 kg, p = 0.04) compared to patients who did not reach the composite endpoint. However, Cox regression multivariate analysis did not find any independent predictors of the composite endpoint, apart from previous decompensation episodes.

CONCLUSION

in this study, muscle strength was lower in the group of patients with cirrhosis who presented a liver-related event. Handgrip strength might be a promising tool in the ambulatory setting to identify patients at risk of liver decompensation and liver-related death in the short term.

Proposal of a nutrition screening algorithm for patients with incurable cancer receiving palliative care: Data from a prospective cohort

OBJECTIVE

To propose and evaluate the clinical utility of a new nutrition screening algorithm, NutriPal, to detect the degree of nutritional risk in patients with incurable cancer receiving palliative care.

METHODS

It is a prospective cohort conducted in an oncology palliative care unit. The NutriPal algorithm was used in a three-step process: (i) administration of the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment short form; (ii) calculation of the Glasgow Prognostic Score; and (iii) application of the algorithm to classify patients into four degrees of nutritional risk. The higher the degrees of NutriPal, the worse the nutritional risk, comparing nutritional measures, laboratory data, and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

The study included 451 patients that were classified using the NutriPal. They were allocated to the degrees: 1 (31.26%), 2 (27.49%), 3 (21.73%), and 4 (19.71%). Statistically significant differences were found in most of the nutritional and laboratory parameters and in OS with each increment in the NutriPal degrees, and OS was reduced (log-rank <0.001). In addition, NutriPal was able to predict a 120-day mortality: there was a significantly higher risk of death in the patients classified as degrees 4 (hazard ratio [HR], 3.03; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 2.18-4.19), 3 (HR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.46-2.78), and 2 (HR, 1.42; 95% CI; 1.04-1.95) than in those classified as degree 1. It also showed good predictive accuracy (concordance statistic, 0.76).

CONCLUSION

The NutriPal is associated to nutritional and laboratory parameters and can predict survival. It could therefore be incorporated into clinical practice for patients with incurable cancer receiving palliative care.

Assessing malnutrition in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Diagnostic protocol for the development and validation of a new nutritional assessment tool

INTRODUCTION

There is currently no gold standard or specific nutritional assessment tool to assess malnutrition in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Our study aims to develop a new nutritional assessment tool for NPC patients.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

NPC patients will be required to complete a risk factor questionnaire after obtaining their informed consent. The risk factor questionnaire will be used to collect potential risk factors for malnutrition. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses will be used to identify risk factors for malnutrition. A new nutritional assessment tool will be developed based on risk factors. The new tool's performance will be assessed by calibration and discrimination. The bootstrapping will be used for internal validation of the new tool. In addition, external validation will be performed by recruiting NPC patients from another hospital.

DISCUSSION

If the new tool is validated to be effective, it will potentially save medical staff time in assessing malnutrition and improve their work efficiency. Additionally, it may reduce the incidence of malnutrition and its adverse consequences.

STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDY

The study will comprehensively analyze demographic data, disease status, physical examination, and blood sampling to identify risk factors for malnutrition. Furthermore, the new tool will be systematically evaluated, and validated to determine their effectiveness. However, the restricted geographical range may limit the generalizability of the results to other ethnicities. Additionally, the study does not analyze subjective indicators such as psychology.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The ethical approval was granted by the Ethical Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University (NO. 2022-KT-GUI WEI-005) and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University (NO. 2022-KY-0752).

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ChiCTR2300071550.

Precision-based tertiary care improves nutritional status and quality of life in patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer

OBJECTIVE

To assess the impact of a precision-based tertiary care protocol, including participatory dietary care, on the nutritional status, immune function, and quality of life in gastric cancer patients after radical gastrectomy.

METHODS

The clinical and laboratory data of 124 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer at the Second People's Hospital of Lanzhou City from June 2020 to May 2022 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped into a control group of 54 patients who received standard care and a study group of 70 patients who additionally received detailed tertiary care and bundled nutritional interventions. The clinical data (age, gender, surgical method, clinical staging, chemotherapy regimen, histories of diabetes, hypertension, smoking, alcohol consumption, time to first flatus and bowel movement, time to first liquid intake, length of hospital stay, complications at discharge, PG-SGA score, and QLQ-C30 score) and lab indices (serum albumin (ALB), prealbumin (PA), transferrin (TRF), hemoglobin (Hb), immunoglobulin A (IgA), M (IgM), and G (IgG)) were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

Study group had significantly higher levels of ALB, PA, TRF, Hb, IgA, IgM, and IgG compared to the control group after intervention (all P<0.001). QLQ-C30 score was higher while PG-SGA score was lower in the study group (both P<0.01). Postoperative digestive system recovery was faster in the study group, as evidenced by a shorter time to first anal defecation, bowel movement, liquid food intake, and hospital stay (P<0.001). Complication rate was significantly lower in the study group (P<0.05). Cox regression analysis showed age (P=0.021) and clinical stage (P=0.039) as independent prognostic factors, while treatment regimen was not (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION

Precision-based tertiary care protocol can improve nutritional status, enhance immune function, and facilitate faster postoperative recovery for gastric cancer patients following gastrectomy, thus greatly improving the quality of life of the patient. However, age and clinical staging, rather than the care protocol, are independent prognostic factors for patients' 1-year survival.

Effect of standard nutritional support therapy based on nutritional risk screening on post-operative nutritional status and quality of life in patients with glioma

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of standard nutritional support based on nutritional risk screening on nutrition conditions and living quality in glioma patients after surgery.

METHODS

The clinical information of 100 patients with glioma treated at the Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital from April 2021 to April 2022 was reviewed retrospectively. Among them, 39 patients received routine nutritional support during the perioperative period (routing group) and 61 patients received standard nutritional support (standard group). The relevant clinical data were collected, and the postoperative albumin (ALB) level, prealbumin (PA) level, hemoglobin (Hb) level, patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) score, Kanofsky performance score (KPS), and short-term prognosis were compared between the two groups. Finally, factors affecting the efficacy of nutritional support in patients with glioma were analyzed.

RESULTS

14 days after the surgery, the levels of ALB, PA, and Hb of the standard group were significantly higher than those in the routing group (all P < 0.05). The PG-SGA scores of the two groups decreased with time, and the PG-SGA scores of the standard group were significantly lower than those of the routing group at 30 d and 60 d after the operation (intergroup effect: F = 9.077, P = 0.003, time effect: F = 75.28, P < 0.001, and interaction effect: F = 3.111, P = 0.047). The KPS scores of the two groups increased with time, and the KPS scores of the standard group were significantly higher than those of the routing group at 30 d and 60 d after operation (intergroup effect: F = 4.458, P = 0.044, time effect: F = 31.333, P < 0.001, and interaction effect: F = 3.507, P = 0.032). Within 6 months after discharge, the tumor recurrence rate of the standard group was significantly lower than that in the routing group (P < 0.05). After 60 days of the surgery, nutritional support therapy worked well in 32 patients, and the results of the logistic regression analysis displayed that age was an independent factor affecting the efficacy of nutritional support in post-operative glioma patients.

CONCLUSION

Standard nutritional support based on nutritional risk screening can improve the nutrition condition and living quality of post-operative glioma patients and is worthy of clinical application.

Complementarity of nutritional assessment tools to predict prolonged hospital stay and readmission in older patients with solid tumors: A secondary analysis of a cohort study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the complementarity of five nutritional risk screening tools (Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 [NRS-2002], Malnutrition Screening Tool [MST], Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool [MUST], Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form [MNA-SF], and Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment SF [PG-SGA SF]) combined with three malnutrition diagnostic tools (SGA, PG-SGA, and Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition [GLIM]) and their ability to predict poor clinical outcomes in older patients with cancer.

METHODS

Using data collected within 48 h of hospital admission, we conducted a prospective cohort study on nutritional risk (NRS-2002, MST, MUST, MNA-SF, and PG-SGA SF) and the presence of malnutrition (SGA, PG-SGA, and GLIM). Patients were grouped according to their nutritional risk and malnutrition status. Accuracy tests and logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the ability of the combined tools to predict hospital length of stay and readmission. We evaluated 248 older patients (69.7 ± 7.2 y of age, 59.7% men; 27.4% with gastrointestinal tumors). The median length of stay was 4 d (3-9 d), and 65.3% of patients remained hospitalized for ≥ 4 d.

RESULTS

The NRS-2002 combined with SGA and MST combined with SGA and GLIM had the highest specificity (> 80%) for predicting hospitalization. Nutritional risk assessed by MNA-SF and malnutrition assessed by PG-SGA were associated with 2.48- and 6.04-fold increased likelihood of hospitalization (≥ 4 d) and readmission (60 d), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Concomitant application of MNA-SF (specific for older patients) with PG-SGA (specific for patients with cancer) might enhance the ability to predict length of stay and readmission in hospitalized older patients with solid tumors.

A quality control circle process to improve enteral nutrition feeding support in discharged patients with colorectal cancer

Correct usage and maintenance of the enteral nutrition feeding pump system is always a challenge in nutrition support for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). However, there are few studies on the sustained accuracy improvement of the enteral nutrition feeding system in discharged CRC patients. Here, we established a seven-month quality control circle (QCC) activity with the theme of improving the performance of home enteral feeding pumps (EFP) and examined the effect of QCC activity on the nutritional state and quality of life in discharged CRC patients. We enrolled 100 discharged CRC patients treated with home enteral nutrition from Zhejiang Cancer Hospital between March 2020 and December 2021. The patients were randomly split into two research groups: one participated in the QCC activity (n = 50) and the other did not (n = 50). QCC analysis indicated that the top 3 causes of EFP inaccurate usage are the simple and boring contents of training, various types of pumps, no examination rules, and lack of management. Furthermore, both intra- and inter-group comparisons showed that QCC significantly improved the patients' pass rate of nutrition pump operation from 52 to 70% after 1-month of activity, which gradually improved and got the highest (90%) after 3 months (p < 0.05). Interestingly, the established QCC activity significantly increased the patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) and Barthel index (BI) scores, body fat mass (BFM) and superior longitudinal muscle (SLM) by intra- and inter-group comparisons. In this study, we clarified the main causes of inaccurate EFP usage and established a QCC process to improve the pass rate of EFP usage. It finally leads to the improvement of nutritional state and quality of life in CRC patients.

Analysis of Changes in the Selected Nutritional Parameters of Patients within a Year from the Admission to the Enteral Nutrition Clinic

(1) The following research question was formulated: What are the relationships between enteral nutrition and selected anthropometric and blood biochemical parameters? The aim of this study was to provide an assessment of the nutritional status of patients within one year from their admission to the Enteral Nutrition Clinic. (2) The study group included 103 participants. For the purpose of analysing their nutritional status, the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) and Nutritional Risk Score (NRS) scales were used, anthropometric measurements were taken, and blood laboratory tests were performed. The assessment of changes in the indicated parameters was conducted at three time intervals: upon admission (T0) and 6 and 12 months after admission (T6 and T12, respectively). (3) The study group showed a significant improvement in the circumference of their upper and lower limbs. Nutrition therapy had an effect on the levels of erythrocytes, iron concentration, the activity of liver enzymes, and C-reactive protein levels. (4) The enrolment of patients into the Nutritional Therapy Programme had a positive effect on the selected results. 1. Twelve months after the introduction of nutritional intervention, an increase in erythrocyte count was particularly marked, and there was a decrease in the CRP (C Reactive Protein) level as well as the activity of liver enzymes. There was no significant effect of enteral nutrition on albumin and protein values. 2. To ensure the greatest efficiency of enteral nutritional therapy, it is to be continued for more than six months. 3. Nutritional interventions resulted in a significant increase in upper and lower limb circumferences among the study group. 4. For the purpose of identifying patients at risk of malnutrition, medical personnel should systematically raise their qualifications, and educational measures on this issue should be implemented at the stage of medical training at medical universities.

GLIM diagnosed malnutrition predicts clinical outcomes and quality of life in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND & AIMS

The high prevalence of malnutrition in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients has numerous negative consequences on patients' outcome when undergoing anti-neoplastic treatment. The Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria for diagnosis of malnutrition are currently being verified; however, studies validating GLIM criteria in NSCLC patients are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate clinical outcomes and Quality of Life (QoL) in malnourished compared to well-nourished NSCLC patients to determine the predictive validity of GLIM criteria.

METHODS

We collected data on adverse events, survival, and QoL from NSCLC patients undergoing first line anti-neoplastic treatment collected from two prospective trials. Patients were categorized by GLIM criteria as malnourished or well-nourished, based on non-volitional weight loss, low Body Mass Index, reduced muscle mass (Computed Tomography-scans), reduced food intake (24-h recall), and inflammatory condition (modified Glasgow Prognostic Score). Differences in descriptive data, adverse events, survival, and QoL between the malnourished and well-nourished patients were analyzed.

RESULTS

Overall, 120 patients were included in the study. Malnourished patients compared to well-nourished patients had significantly worse outcome in terms of treatment cessation (n = 21 vs 13, p = 0.049), disease progression (n = 20 vs 12, p = 0.034) and shorter overall survival (HR 2.0, 95% CI: 1.2, 3.4, p = 0.009). Stratifying by severity, moderately malnourished patients had a shorter overall survival compared to well-nourished patients (HR 2.1, 95% CI: 1.2, 3.6, p = 0.007). Malnutrition at baseline was associated with poor QoL by lower physical (p < 0.001) and role functioning (p = 0.011), more symptoms of fatigue (p = 0.001), nausea and vomiting (p = 0.009), pain (p < 0.001), dyspnea (p = 0.032), appetite loss (p < 0.001), and constipation (p = 0.029). No significant differences were found in hospitalization, dose reductions, or treatment postponement.

CONCLUSIONS

Malnutrition defined by GLIM criteria in NSCLC patients was associated with more frequent early cessation of anti-neoplastic treatment, shorter overall survival, and poorer QoL compared to well-nourished patients.

A scoping review on the GLIM criteria for malnutrition diagnosis: Understanding how and for which purpose it has been applied in studies on hospital settings

AIMS

This scoping review aimed to identify and map the literature on malnutrition diagnosis made using the GLIM criteria in hospitalized patients.

METHODS

The scoping review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute's methodology. We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science (until 16 April 2022) to identify studies based on the 'population' (adults or elderly patients), 'concept' (malnutrition diagnosis by the GLIM criteria), and 'context' (hospital settings) framework. Titles/abstracts were screened, and two independent reviewers extracted data from eligible studies.

RESULTS

Ninety-six studies were eligible (35.4% from China, 30.2% involving oncological patients, and 30.5% with prospective data collection), 32 followed the two-step GLIM approach, and 50 applied all the criteria. All the studies evaluated body mass index (BMI), while 92.7% evaluated weight loss; 77.1%, muscle mass; 93.8%, inflammation; and 70.8%, energy intake. A lack of details on the methods adopted for criterion evaluation was observed in five (muscle mass evaluation) to 40 studies (energy intake evaluation). The frequency of the use of the GLIM criteria ranged from 22.2% (frequency of low BMI) to 84.7% (frequency of inflammation), and the malnutrition prevalence ranged from 0.96% to 87.9%. Less than 30% of studies aimed to assess the GLIM criterion validity, eight studies cited the guidance on validation of the GLIM criteria, and a minority implemented it.

CONCLUSIONS

This map of studies on the GLIM criteria in hospital settings demonstrated that they are applied in a heterogeneous manner, with a wide range of malnutrition prevalence. Almost 50% of the studies applied all the criteria, while one-third followed the straightforward two-step approach. The recommendations of the guidance on validation of the criteria were scarcely adhered to. The gaps that need to be explored in future studies have been highlighted.

A Digital Smartphone-Based Self-administered Tool (R+ Dietitian) for Nutritional Risk Screening and Dietary Assessment in Hospitalized Patients With Cancer: Evaluation and Diagnostic Accuracy Study

BACKGROUND

Malnutrition is a common and severe problem in patients with cancer that directly increases the incidence of complications and significantly deteriorates quality of life. Nutritional risk screening and dietary assessment are critical because they are the basis for providing personalized nutritional support. No digital smartphone-based self-administered tool for nutritional risk screening and dietary assessment among hospitalized patients with cancer has been developed and evaluated.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to develop a digital smartphone-based self-administered mini program for nutritional risk screening and dietary assessment for hospitalized patients with cancer and to evaluate the validity of the mini program.

METHODS

We have developed the R+ Dietitian mini program, which consists of 3 parts: (1) collection of basic information of patients, (2) nutritional risk screening, and (3) dietary energy and protein assessment. The face-to-face paper-based Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS-2002), the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form (PG-SGA-SF), and 3 days of 24-hour dietary recall (3d-24HRs) questionnaires were administered according to standard procedure by 2 trained dietitians as the reference methods. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, κ value, and correlation coefficients (CCs) of nutritional risk screened in R+ Dietitian against the reference methods, as well as the difference and CCs of estimated dietary energy and protein intakes between R+ Dietitian and 3d-24HRs were calculated to evaluate the validity of R+ Dietitian.

RESULTS

A total of 244 hospitalized patients with cancer were recruited to evaluate the validity of R+ Dietitian. The NRS-2002 and PG-SGA-SF tools in R+ Dietitian showed high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity (77.5%, 81.0%, and 76.7% and 69.3%, 84.5%, and 64.5%, respectively), and fair agreement (κ=0.42 and 0.37, respectively; CC 0.62 and 0.56, respectively) with the NRS-2002 and PG-SGA-SF tools administered by dietitians. The estimated intakes of dietary energy and protein were significantly higher (P<.001 for both) in R+ Dietitian (mean difference of energy intake: 144.2 kcal, SD 454.8; median difference of protein intake: 10.7 g, IQR 9.5-39.8), and showed fair agreement (CC 0.59 and 0.47, respectively), compared with 3d-24HRs performed by dietitians.

CONCLUSIONS

The identified nutritional risk and assessment of dietary intakes of energy and protein in R+ Dietitian displayed a fair agreement with the screening and assessment conducted by dietitians. R+ Dietitian has the potential to be a tool for nutritional risk screening and dietary intake assessment among hospitalized patients with cancer.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900026324; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=41528.

Managing Nutrition Impact Symptoms in Cancer Cachexia: A Case Series and Mini Review

Malnutrition is common in cancer patients and can occur throughout a patient’s disease course. The contributors to the clinical syndrome of cancer cachexia are often multifactorial, and produced by the cancer and associated pro-inflammatory response. Since cancer cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome, a multimodal therapeutic approach is ideal. A key component of therapy is identifying and managing symptom barriers to adequate oral intake, known as nutritional impact symptoms (NIS). NIS are associated with reduced intake and weight loss in patients with advanced cancer, and aggregate NIS are a predictor of survival in patients with Head and Neck Cancer and in patients undergoing surgery for esophageal cancer. Currently, there are no guidelines regarding the specific management of NIS in oncology patients. Experience from specialist centers suggest relatively simple assessments and inexpensive interventions are available for the diagnosis and treatment of NIS. We present three patient cases from a cachexia clinic, where NIS management decreased symptom burden and improved clinical outcomes such as weight and physical performance.