Use of the scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) as a nutrition assessment tool in patients with cancer

Objective To evaluate the use of the scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) as a nutrition assessment tool in patients with cancer.Design An observational study assessing the nutritional status of patients with cancer.Setting Oncology ward of a private tertiary Australian hospital.Subjects Seventy-one cancer patients aged 18-92 y.Intervention Scored PG-SGA questionnaire, comparison of scored PG-SGA with subjective global assessment (SGA), sensitivity, specificity.Results Some 24% (17) of 71 patients were well nourished, 59% (42) of patients were moderately or suspected of being malnourished and 17% (12) of patients were severely malnourished according to subjective global assessment (SGA). The PG-SGA score had a sensitivity of 98% and a specificity of 82% at predicting SGA classification. There was a significant difference in the median PG-SGA scores for each of the SGA classifications (PConclusion The scored PG-SGA is an easy to use nutrition assessment tool that allows quick identification and prioritisation of malnutrition in hospitalised patients with cancer.