Age-Specific Pattern of Nutritional Status by BMI, PG-SGA, and Blood Biomarkers among Cancer Patients

Abstract Purpose Malnutrition is highly prevalent among cancer patients but receives little attention. This study aimed to comprehensively assess the nutritional status of 15,656 adult cancer patients by different age groups, sex, and cancer types, using three complementary measurements: body mass index (BMI), the Patient Generated-Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), and blood biomarkers. Methods Data were obtained from the multicentered Investigation on Nutrition Status and its Clinical Outcome of Common Cancers (INSCOC) project in China. Participants aged 18 years or older, with confirmed cancer diagnoses, were included. Nutritional assessment measures included BMI, the PG-SGA, and seven blood biomarkers. Age-specific patterns in these parameters were analyzed, and further stratified by sex and cancer types. Results The mean age was 57.4 years (SD = 11.6). Age-related variations in nutritional parameters were observed. BMI and PG-SGA scores exhibited bell-shaped patterns by age that varied by sex and tumor types. PG-SGA scores increased with age, especially in gastrointestinal cancer patients. Blood biomarkers showed an inverse association with age for total protein, albumin, and hemoglobin levels, while creatinine increased with age. White blood cell (WBC) counts remained relatively stable across age, while NLR increased with age, indicating immune imbalance or inflammation. Conclusion This is the first study to simultaneously assess three complementary nutritional measures among Chinese cancer patients. Our findings highlight the importance of considering age, sex, and cancer type in assessing nutritional status among cancer patients. If confirmed by future studies, these findings will help inform the design of personalized nutritional interventions to optimize nutrition and improve cancer treatment and prognosis.