Research Article: NRS2002-stratified body composition and laboratory characteristics in hospitalized cancer patients assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis
Abstract:
The body composition and laboratory characteristics underlying Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS2002)-defined nutritional risk in hospitalized patients with cancer remain insufficiently described.
This single-center retrospective cross-sectional study included 998 hospitalized patients with cancer. Nutritional risk was defined as NRS2002 ?3. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) parameters and laboratory indicators related to inflammation and nutritional status were compared across NRS2002 categories. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess adjusted associations between key body composition parameters and nutritional risk after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, and cancer group.
Across increasing NRS2002 categories, extracellular water-to-total body water ratio increased, whereas body mass index decreased. Among laboratory indicators, albumin and hemoglobin tended to decrease, whereas C-reactive protein (CRP) tended to increase. In multivariable analyses, albumin was inversely associated with nutritional risk in the model without CRP (OR = 0.958, 95% CI 0.928–0.989, P = 0.009), whereas log1p-transformed CRP was positively associated with nutritional risk in the model including CRP (OR = 1.311, 95% CI 1.146–1.499, P < 0.001). In contrast, skeletal muscle index, visceral fat area, phase angle, and extracellular water-to-total body water ratio were not significantly associated with nutritional risk after adjustment.
Laboratory indicators related to inflammation and nutritional status showed more consistent associations with NRS2002-defined nutritional risk than single-time-point BIA-derived body composition parameters. BIA-derived parameters may provide complementary information on body composition, but their interpretation should consider clinical status and the limitations of single-time-point assessment.
Introduction:
During disease progression and antitumor treatment, patients with cancer commonly experience reduced dietary intake, increased metabolic demands, and systemic inflammatory responses, which may clinically manifest as weight loss, muscle depletion, fatigue, and fluid retention. The coexistence of multiple risk factors during hospitalization makes nutritional risk assessment an essential component of routine clinical management. Previous studies have shown that malnutrition is associated with a higher risk of…
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