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Physician-reported performance status (PS) constitutes the established method for stratifying oncologic patients in therapeutic decision-making. Objective measurements of physical function may further refine prognostication. In this prospective observational study, 103 patients with metastatic cancer who were referred for systemic therapy initiation were evaluated. PS was evaluated using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) and five objective physical function measurements (handgrip strength [HGS], chair stand test [CST], timed up and go [TUG] test, 4-m gait speed [GS] test, and short physical performance battery [SPPB] test). Overall survival and treatment complications were recorded from the medical records. Patients with low PS according to ECOG-PS (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.80, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.84, 7.80), HGS (HR: 2.37, 95% CI: 1.24, 4.55), SPPB (HR: 3.43, 95% CI: 1.55, 7.57), GS (HR: 3.03, 95% CI: 1.44, 6.38), and TUG (HR: 5.16, 95% CI: 2.19, 12.14) had shorter overall survival after adjustment for sex, age, symptomatology, comorbidity, percentage of weight loss, and tumor localization. Among the studied objective physical function measurements, HGS, SPPB, GS, and TUG were independent predictors of survival in a sample of patients with metastatic cancer, with TUG showing the highest effect size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Effect of body tissue composition on the outcome of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors." The correction states that an additional affiliation is missing for the second author, Konstantinos Rounis, who is also affiliated with the Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Medical School, University of Crete. The correct affiliations for the authors are provided in the correction notice. The original article was published in PLoS ONE and is available for further reading. [Extracted from the article]

Advanced cancer often results in reduced dietary intake; however, data on actual intake at the time of diagnosis are limited. In the present study, a detailed dietary intake assessment was performed in patients with metastatic lung and upper gastrointestinal cancer, before initiation of systemic therapy. Basic demographics and performance status (PS) were recorded. Nutritional status was evaluated through anthropometry, Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and 3 nonconsecutive 24-hour dietary recalls. Of the 84 patients enrolled, 61.4% were protein, energy, or protein–energy undernourished, regardless of body mass index (BMI) or MNA category. No differences in energy, macronutrients, and micronutrients intakes across BMI categories were recorded. Very low consumption of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), irrespective of energy intake, tumor site, BMI category, or PS was found. Suboptimal micronutrients intakes were recorded even in well-nourished and overweight/obese patients. Patients with adequate PS and better MNA score reported significantly higher intake of certain macro- and micronutrients (allP< 0.05). Most patients exhibited reduced dietary intake in terms of energy, macronutrient, and micronutrient. Very low EPA and DHA intake was recorded for the whole sample, whereas micronutrient suboptimal intakes were also prevalent in well-nourished or overweight patients. All the above should be taken into account during patients' nutritional care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Purpose: Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death. A cumulative prognostic score based on C-reactive protein and albumin, termed the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), indicates the presence of systemic inflammatory response. GPS has been proposed as a powerful prognostic tool for patients with various types of malignant tumors, including lung cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of baseline GPS in terms of toxicity and response in lung cancer patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients and methods: Patients referred to our institution for consideration of first-line platinum-based treatment were eligible. Demographics and disease-related characteristics were recorded. Toxicity was graded according to NCI CTCAE version 3.0 throughout first-line therapy. GPS was calculated before the onset of treatment and was related to the development of toxicity. Response to first-line therapy and survival data were also collected. Results: Totally, 96 lung cancer patients were accrued. GPS was associated with increased mucositis p =0.004), neurotoxicity (p =0.038), neutropenia (p =0.02), dose reductions or/ and need for granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) support (p =0.005), toxicity-related termination of treatment (p =0.001) and chemotherapy-related toxic deaths (p =0.013). GPS was associated with overall survival (p =0.016) and progression-free survival (p =0.016) as well as response to treatment (p =0.05). Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that GPS assessment is predictive of the most important aspects of platinum-related toxicity and this may partly explain its associations with poor clinical outcome in patients with metastatic lung cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Purpose: Lung cancer patients frequently present with weight loss in the context of the cachexia syndrome. Despite its high clinical significance, definite diagnostic criteria of cachexia are lacking. Nutritional screening questionnaires, like the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), have been proposed for the timely diagnosis of the syndrome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation of MNA with laboratory markers of inflammation/cachexia in patients with metastatic lung cancer. The prognostic value of the measured parameters was also examined. Patients and methods: Patients with metastatic lung cancer referred for systemic therapy were eligible. Baseline clinical characteristics were recorded and nutritional status was assessed using MNA. Blood samples were also collected and the following parameters were measured: hemoglobin (Hb), albumin (Alb), C-reactive protein (CRP), ghrelin, adiponectin, leptin and insulin growth factor I (IGF-I). Results: Totally, 115 patients (101 males) [median age 66 years (range 32–86)] were evaluated. According to MNA score, 27 (23.5%) patients were well nourished, 59 (51.3%) were at nutritional risk and 29 (25.2%) were already malnourished at diagnosis. MNA correlated with the following parameters: Hb (p =0.001), albumin (p <0.001), CRP (p =0.002), adiponectin (p =0.037) and leptin (p =0.008). After a median follow up of 38.2 months, multivariate analysis revealed that age (p =0.008), number of metastatic sites (p <0.001), MNA (p =0.044) and leptin (p =0.004) independently correlated with overall survival. Conclusions: Based on the MNA, the majority of patients were either malnourished or at nutritional risk. MNA correlated with laboratory parameters related to inflammation/cachexia and was independently associated with survival. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]