The article investigates the nutritional status trajectories of elderly patients undergoing lung cancer surgery and identifies key predictors associated with postoperative malnutrition risk. Conducted as a prospective cohort study in China, the research followed 474 elderly lung cancer patients from hospital admission through six months after surgery using repeated nutritional assessments. The study identified three distinct nutritional trajectories: a severe malnutrition-rapid improvement group, a moderate malnutrition-rapid improvement group, and a persistent low malnutrition risk group. Findings revealed that nutritional risk significantly increased immediately after surgery, peaking before discharge and remaining elevated during the first postoperative month. Patients in the severe and moderate malnutrition groups experienced poorer quality of life outcomes, including reduced physical and cognitive functioning and increased fatigue, pain, dyspnea, and appetite loss. The study further identified advanced age, higher TNM stage, lower preoperative BMI, reduced social support, and depressive symptoms as major predictors of unfavorable nutritional trajectories. The article emphasizes the importance of early nutritional assessment, multidisciplinary perioperative nutritional management, psychological support, and individualized interventions to improve postoperative recovery and quality of life among elderly lung cancer patients. The research advocates for continuous nutritional monitoring and precision nutrition strategies within oncology care systems.
Resource type:
Peer review