Chapter 3: Nutrition Risk Screening and Assessment

Question 1

List the 6 Characteristics of Malnutrition. How many are necessary for the diagnosis of Malnutrition?

Answer 1

Insufficient energy intake
Unintended weight loss
Loss of muscle mass
Loss of subcutaneous fat
Localized or generalized fluid accumulation
Diminished functional status (hand grip strength)

Two are needed for diagnosis

Question 2

List the 4 validated Nutrition Screening tools for Oncology patients

Answer 2

PG-SGA - Patient generated-subjective global assessment
MST - malnutrition screening tool
MSTC - malnutrition screening toll for cancer patients
MUST - malnutrition universal screening tool

Question 3

Which two screening tools are validated for outpatient use?

Answer 3

PG-SGA and MST

Question 4

Cancer Cachexia is a multifactoral syndrome characterized by:

Answer 4

ongoing loss of skeletal muscle mass with or without loss of fat mass

Question 5

True or False: Cancer Cachexia can be reversed if caught early enough by conventional nutrition support

Answer 5

False

Question 6

True or False: Sarcopenia describes the presence of fat and muscle loss

Answer 6

False - sarcopenia is the loss of muscle tissue. It’s common for obese patients to have Sarcopenic Obesity, where they are losing muscle mass, but have increased fat mass

Question 7

Nutrition focused physical findings can include:

Answer 7

Grip strength (or change in grip strength)
Vital Signs
Assessment of Taste
intra-oral cavity

Question 8

Key features to be assessed for cancer cachexia include

Answer 8

anorexia and reduction of food intake

Question 9

What percentage of patients with advanced cancer will develop sarcopenia?

Answer 9

50%

Question 10

You have a 53 year old female with head and neck CA, 63”, starting WT of 185#, receiving chemo-radiation and presents with 5# wt loss this week. What are three things you should evaluate in the nutrition assessment?

Answer 10

Diet history
Risk of Sarcopenia
Swallowing Adequacy

Question 11

True or False: Oncologic surgery is considered a chronic illness or injury

Answer 11

False - Long Term maintenance therapy is considered chronic

Question 12

A patient presents with no weight loss since beginning treatment but you note slight temporal wasting and a protruding abdomen. What signs of malnutrition is he presenting with?

Answer 12

loss of subcutaneous fat and fluid accumulation

Question 13

What oncology patient population is at highest risk of weight loss and malnutrition?

Answer 13

Gastrointestinal

Head & Neck

Question 14

Weight loss as little as ___% has been associated with reduced response to oncology treatment, reduced survival and decreased quality of life.

Answer 14

6%

Question 15

What time frame defines chronic malnutrition?

Answer 15

3 months