The scored Patient-generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and its association with quality of life in ambulatory patients receiving radiotherapy

doi:doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601552

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition homepage

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2003) 57, 305–309. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601552

The scored Patient-generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and its association with quality of life in ambulatory patients receiving radiotherapy

E Isenring^1,2,*,†, J Bauer^1,2,† and S Capra^2,†

¹The Wesley Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
²Centre for Public Health Research, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

Correspondence: E Isenring, Centre for Public Health Research, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.

^*Guarantor: E Isenring.

^†Contributors: EI was the main author of the manuscript, initiated the study, collected data and carried out the statistical analysis and interpretation. JB initiated the study, assisted in the statistical analysis, interpretation and writing the manuscript. SC initiated the study, supervised the project, assisted in the statistical analysis, interpretation and writing the manuscript.

Received 18 May 2002; Revised 31 May 2002; Accepted 11 June 2002.

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Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the scored Patient-generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) tool as an outcome measure in clinical nutrition practice and determine its association with quality of life (QoL).

Design: A prospective 4 week study assessing the nutritional status and QoL of ambulatory patients receiving radiation therapy to the head, neck, rectal or abdominal area.

Setting: Australian radiation oncology facilities.

Subjects: Sixty cancer patients aged 24–85 y.

Interventions: Scored PG-SGA questionnaire, subjective global assessment (SGA), QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30 version 3).

Results: According to SGA, 65.0% (39) of subjects were well-nourished, 28.3% (17) moderately or suspected of being malnourished and 6.7% (4) severely malnourished. PG-SGA score and global QoL were correlated (r=-0.66, P<0.001) at baseline. There was a decrease in nutritional status according to PG-SGA score (P<0.001) and SGA (P<0.001); and a decrease in global QoL (P<0.001) after 4 weeks of radiotherapy. There was a linear trend for change in PG-SGA score (P<0.001) and change in global QoL (P=0.003) between those patients who improved (5%) maintained (56.7%) or deteriorated (33.3%) in nutritional status according to SGA. There was a correlation between change in PG-SGA score and change in QoL after 4 weeks of radiotherapy (r=-0.55, P<0.001). Regression analysis determined that 26% of the variation of change in QoL was explained by change in PG-SGA (P=0.001).

Conclusion: The scored PG-SGA is a nutrition assessment tool that identifies malnutrition in ambulatory oncology patients receiving radiotherapy and can be used to predict the magnitude of change in QoL.

Sponsors: The Wesley Research Institute.