[Results of malnutrition risk self-screening in Hungarian oncology patients].

Abstract

Aim: Our aim was to introduce self-screening for the risk of malnutrition in cancer patients using the PG-SGA questionnaire, and to compare the results of the new method with the abnormal values of the previously used BMI and MUST method.

Methods: We performed self-screening using the PGSGA questionnaire, MUST risk screening, and nutritional status classification based on BMI in parallel with 101 oncology patients.

Results: A high risk of malnutrition was diagnosed in 73 subjects (72%) using the PG-SGA method, 58 subjects (57%) using the MUST method, and 8 subjects (8%) using the BMI method.

Conclusions: The PG-SGA method can be easily implemented in the Hungarian practice, which effectively screens the risk of malnutrition in cancer patients. The sensitivity of the questionnaire is increased by the disease-specific questions, which ask about symptoms affecting nutrition and stress factors that determine metabolic demand. Early detection of malnutrition and the initiation of nutritional therapy in cancer are key factors in terms of improving quality of life and increasing survival.