,
Pelagie Douanla,
Etienne Atenguena,
Esther Dina Bell,
Lionel Tabola Fossa,
Ruth Mapenya,
Anne Sango,
Anne Marthe Maison,
Michel Mouelle,
Zacharie Sando
Background: Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, with malnutrition being a common comorbidity (prevalence 20-80%) that negatively impacts patient outcomes, increasing morbidity, mortality, and poor treatment tolerance. Early diagnosis and intervention are critical, yet nutritional status is often overlooked, particularly in low-resource settings. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and severity of malnutrition among adult cancer patients at the Yaoundé General Hospital. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study from December 2021 to August 2022, including 109 adult cancer patients (age ≥ 18 years) using non-probability consecutive sampling. Nutritional status was assessed using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), classifying patients as well-nourished (A), moderately malnourished (B), or severely malnourished (C). Results: The cohort was predominantly female (62.4%), with a mean age of 51.78±15.7 years. Breast cancer was the most common malignancy (25.7%), and 59.6% of patients presented with metastatic disease. The overall malnutrition rate was 52.3%, with 18.4% of cases being moderate (Stage B) and 33.9% being severe (Stage C). Cancers of the head and neck and stomach accounted for the highest proportion of malnourished patients (33.3% for each group). A critical finding was that only 20.2% of patients had received any form of nutritional intervention during their oncology follow-up. Conclusion: The prevalence of malnutrition is critically high (52.3%), with a high severity index, underscoring a significant and immediate gap in comprehensive cancer care in Cameroon. Routine PG-SGA screening and the urgent implementation of nutritional management protocols are essential to improve the quality of life and outcomes for cancer patients in resource-limited settings.
| Published in | Journal of Cancer Treatment and Research (Volume 13, Issue 4) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.jctr.20251304.15 |
| Page(s) | 140-146 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Nutritional Status, Adult Patients, Cancer, Malnutrition, PG-SGA, Cameroon
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APA Style
Mapoko, B. S. E., Douanla, P., Atenguena, E., Bell, E. D., Fossa, L. T., et al. (2025). Evaluation of the Nutritional Status of Adult Cancer Patients in a Reference Hospital of Cameroon Using Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment. Journal of Cancer Treatment and Research, 13(4), 140-146. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jctr.20251304.15
ACS Style
Mapoko, B. S. E.; Douanla, P.; Atenguena, E.; Bell, E. D.; Fossa, L. T., et al. Evaluation of the Nutritional Status of Adult Cancer Patients in a Reference Hospital of Cameroon Using Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment. J. Cancer Treat. Res. 2025, 13(4), 140-146. doi: 10.11648/j.jctr.20251304.15
AMA Style
Mapoko BSE, Douanla P, Atenguena E, Bell ED, Fossa LT, et al. Evaluation of the Nutritional Status of Adult Cancer Patients in a Reference Hospital of Cameroon Using Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment. J Cancer Treat Res. 2025;13(4):140-146. doi: 10.11648/j.jctr.20251304.15
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Download@article{10.11648/j.jctr.20251304.15,
author = {Berthe Sabine Esson Mapoko and Pelagie Douanla and Etienne Atenguena and Esther Dina Bell and Lionel Tabola Fossa and Ruth Mapenya and Anne Sango and Anne Marthe Maison and Michel Mouelle and Zacharie Sando},
title = {Evaluation of the Nutritional Status of Adult Cancer Patients in a Reference Hospital of Cameroon Using Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment
},
journal = {Journal of Cancer Treatment and Research},
volume = {13},
number = {4},
pages = {140-146},
doi = {10.11648/j.jctr.20251304.15},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jctr.20251304.15},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jctr.20251304.15},
abstract = {Background: Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, with malnutrition being a common comorbidity (prevalence 20-80%) that negatively impacts patient outcomes, increasing morbidity, mortality, and poor treatment tolerance. Early diagnosis and intervention are critical, yet nutritional status is often overlooked, particularly in low-resource settings. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and severity of malnutrition among adult cancer patients at the Yaoundé General Hospital. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study from December 2021 to August 2022, including 109 adult cancer patients (age ≥ 18 years) using non-probability consecutive sampling. Nutritional status was assessed using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), classifying patients as well-nourished (A), moderately malnourished (B), or severely malnourished (C). Results: The cohort was predominantly female (62.4%), with a mean age of 51.78±15.7 years. Breast cancer was the most common malignancy (25.7%), and 59.6% of patients presented with metastatic disease. The overall malnutrition rate was 52.3%, with 18.4% of cases being moderate (Stage B) and 33.9% being severe (Stage C). Cancers of the head and neck and stomach accounted for the highest proportion of malnourished patients (33.3% for each group). A critical finding was that only 20.2% of patients had received any form of nutritional intervention during their oncology follow-up. Conclusion: The prevalence of malnutrition is critically high (52.3%), with a high severity index, underscoring a significant and immediate gap in comprehensive cancer care in Cameroon. Routine PG-SGA screening and the urgent implementation of nutritional management protocols are essential to improve the quality of life and outcomes for cancer patients in resource-limited settings.
},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Evaluation of the Nutritional Status of Adult Cancer Patients in a Reference Hospital of Cameroon Using Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment AU - Berthe Sabine Esson Mapoko AU - Pelagie Douanla AU - Etienne Atenguena AU - Esther Dina Bell AU - Lionel Tabola Fossa AU - Ruth Mapenya AU - Anne Sango AU - Anne Marthe Maison AU - Michel Mouelle AU - Zacharie Sando Y1 - 2025/11/12 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jctr.20251304.15 DO - 10.11648/j.jctr.20251304.15 T2 - Journal of Cancer Treatment and Research JF - Journal of Cancer Treatment and Research JO - Journal of Cancer Treatment and Research SP - 140 EP - 146 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2376-7790 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jctr.20251304.15 AB - Background: Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, with malnutrition being a common comorbidity (prevalence 20-80%) that negatively impacts patient outcomes, increasing morbidity, mortality, and poor treatment tolerance. Early diagnosis and intervention are critical, yet nutritional status is often overlooked, particularly in low-resource settings. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and severity of malnutrition among adult cancer patients at the Yaoundé General Hospital. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study from December 2021 to August 2022, including 109 adult cancer patients (age ≥ 18 years) using non-probability consecutive sampling. Nutritional status was assessed using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), classifying patients as well-nourished (A), moderately malnourished (B), or severely malnourished (C). Results: The cohort was predominantly female (62.4%), with a mean age of 51.78±15.7 years. Breast cancer was the most common malignancy (25.7%), and 59.6% of patients presented with metastatic disease. The overall malnutrition rate was 52.3%, with 18.4% of cases being moderate (Stage B) and 33.9% being severe (Stage C). Cancers of the head and neck and stomach accounted for the highest proportion of malnourished patients (33.3% for each group). A critical finding was that only 20.2% of patients had received any form of nutritional intervention during their oncology follow-up. Conclusion: The prevalence of malnutrition is critically high (52.3%), with a high severity index, underscoring a significant and immediate gap in comprehensive cancer care in Cameroon. Routine PG-SGA screening and the urgent implementation of nutritional management protocols are essential to improve the quality of life and outcomes for cancer patients in resource-limited settings. VL - 13 IS - 4 ER -
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon 2Oncology Service, Yaounde Central Hospital, Yaounde, Cameroon;Oncology Service, Yaounde Central Hospital, Yaounde, Cameroon
Oncology Service, Yaounde Gyneco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital, Yaounde, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon;
Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon;
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon;Oncology Service, Yaounde Gyneco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital, Yaounde, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon;Oncology Service, Yaounde Gyneco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital, Yaounde, Cameroon
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