Current status of malnutrition, frailty, and sarcopenia risks in cancer patients with comorbidities.

Authors

Lixue Cui, Yu Zhang, Guoshan Gao, Xiaoyan Hao, Ronghuan Zhang, Ling Zhou, Xirui Jiang, Lili Zhao

Published in

Frontiers in public health. Volume 14. Pages 1820491. Epub Jun 24, 2026.

Abstract

To analyze the coexistence of malnutrition, frailty, and sarcopenia in patients with cancer comorbid.
Using convenience sampling, 476 patients with cancer comorbidities were recruited from two Grade III Class A hospitals in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region between January 2025 and December 2025. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire, the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002), the FRAIL frailty scale, and the SARC-Calf sarcopenia screening scale. Univariate analysis and multivariate modified Poisson regression analysis were performed to identify influencing factors, and Venn diagrams were used to illustrate the overlap among the three conditions.
The prevalence rates of malnutrition and sarcopenia were 31.3 and 65.7%, respectively. According to the FRAIL scale, 115 patients (24.2%) had no frailty, 245 (51.5%) were classified as pre-frailty, and 116 (24.4%) met the criteria for established frailty. A total of 122 patients (25.6%) presented with all three conditions simultaneously. The Venn diagram showed that frailty and sarcopenia had the highest coexistence rate (55.2%). Multivariable modified Poisson regression analysis revealed that older age (31-60 years and >60 years vs. 18-30 years), advanced tumor stage (Stage II-III and Stage IV vs. Stage I), and rural residence (rural vs. urban) were harmful predictors (PR > 1, p < 0.05) of the coexistence of the three conditions, whereas higher socioeconomic support (PR < 1, p < 0.05) was a protective predictor.
The coexistence of malnutrition, frailty, and sarcopenia is common among patients with cancer comorbidities and is significantly associated with age, tumor stage, and socioeconomic factors. Implications for nursing practice: Primary care facilities should routinely monitor nutritional status, frailty, and sarcopenia in older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) with cancer and comorbidities, while also establishing a tiered intervention system and a referral mechanism to higher-level hospitals when necessary.

PMID:
42422675
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Jul 2026.

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