Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients: Evaluating methods and correlation with disease severity— cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients are vulnerable to malnutrition. Despite its importance in enhancing clinical outcomes, management, and prognosis of HCC patients, few studies assessed their nutritional status. Our study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of HCC patie...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shimaa Ahmed Gamal, Wesam Saber Morad, Gasser El-Azab, Sania Ali Yehia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-06-01
Series:Egyptian Liver Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s43066-025-00423-1
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849725496179294208
author Shimaa Ahmed Gamal
Wesam Saber Morad
Gasser El-Azab
Sania Ali Yehia
author_facet Shimaa Ahmed Gamal
Wesam Saber Morad
Gasser El-Azab
Sania Ali Yehia
author_sort Shimaa Ahmed Gamal
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients are vulnerable to malnutrition. Despite its importance in enhancing clinical outcomes, management, and prognosis of HCC patients, few studies assessed their nutritional status. Our study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of HCC patients using various nutritional assessment methods and their correlation with disease severity. Patients and methods This is a cross-sectional hospital-based study of 200 HCC patients who visited outpatient clinics at the National Liver Institute. Methods used for assessment of their nutritional status included body mass index (BMI), mid-arm circumference (MAC), mid muscle arm circumference (MMAC), calf circumference (CC), hand grip strength (HGS), adductor pollicis muscle (APM) thickness, subjective global assessment (SGA), and mini-nutritional assessment (MNA) questionnaire. Results The mean age of study participants was 61.51 ± 8.68 years. There was a wide variation in the diagnosis of malnutrition in HCC patients using different nutritional assessment methods. There was substantial agreement between MAC and MNA with SGA. There was a negative correlation between child class and MAC, MMAC, and MNA scores. There was a negative correlation between BCLC and MNA scores. SGA was positively correlated with both child class and BCLC staging. Conclusions There was a great variation in the prevalence of malnutrition in HCC patients using different nutritional assessment methods. MAC and MNA scores showed a substantial agreement with SGA. SGA, MNA, MAC, and MMAC correlated with disease severity. Assessing the nutritional status is necessary to improve patients’ clinical outcomes.
format Article
id doaj-art-c0693f2cc3e24169bc89a810aa79da56
institution DOAJ
issn 2090-6226
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series Egyptian Liver Journal
spelling doaj-art-c0693f2cc3e24169bc89a810aa79da562025-08-20T03:10:27ZengSpringerOpenEgyptian Liver Journal2090-62262025-06-011511810.1186/s43066-025-00423-1Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients: Evaluating methods and correlation with disease severity— cross-sectional studyShimaa Ahmed Gamal0Wesam Saber Morad1Gasser El-Azab2Sania Ali Yehia3Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, National Liver Institute, Menoufia UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, National Liver Institute, Menoufia UniversityDepartment of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, National Liver Institute, Menoufia UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, National Liver Institute, Menoufia UniversityAbstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients are vulnerable to malnutrition. Despite its importance in enhancing clinical outcomes, management, and prognosis of HCC patients, few studies assessed their nutritional status. Our study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of HCC patients using various nutritional assessment methods and their correlation with disease severity. Patients and methods This is a cross-sectional hospital-based study of 200 HCC patients who visited outpatient clinics at the National Liver Institute. Methods used for assessment of their nutritional status included body mass index (BMI), mid-arm circumference (MAC), mid muscle arm circumference (MMAC), calf circumference (CC), hand grip strength (HGS), adductor pollicis muscle (APM) thickness, subjective global assessment (SGA), and mini-nutritional assessment (MNA) questionnaire. Results The mean age of study participants was 61.51 ± 8.68 years. There was a wide variation in the diagnosis of malnutrition in HCC patients using different nutritional assessment methods. There was substantial agreement between MAC and MNA with SGA. There was a negative correlation between child class and MAC, MMAC, and MNA scores. There was a negative correlation between BCLC and MNA scores. SGA was positively correlated with both child class and BCLC staging. Conclusions There was a great variation in the prevalence of malnutrition in HCC patients using different nutritional assessment methods. MAC and MNA scores showed a substantial agreement with SGA. SGA, MNA, MAC, and MMAC correlated with disease severity. Assessing the nutritional status is necessary to improve patients’ clinical outcomes.https://doi.org/10.1186/s43066-025-00423-1Nutritional assessmentNutrition statusMalnutritionHepatocellular carcinoma
spellingShingle Shimaa Ahmed Gamal
Wesam Saber Morad
Gasser El-Azab
Sania Ali Yehia
Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients: Evaluating methods and correlation with disease severity— cross-sectional study
Egyptian Liver Journal
Nutritional assessment
Nutrition status
Malnutrition
Hepatocellular carcinoma
title Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients: Evaluating methods and correlation with disease severity— cross-sectional study
title_full Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients: Evaluating methods and correlation with disease severity— cross-sectional study
title_fullStr Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients: Evaluating methods and correlation with disease severity— cross-sectional study
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients: Evaluating methods and correlation with disease severity— cross-sectional study
title_short Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients: Evaluating methods and correlation with disease severity— cross-sectional study
title_sort assessment of the nutritional status of hepatocellular carcinoma patients evaluating methods and correlation with disease severity cross sectional study
topic Nutritional assessment
Nutrition status
Malnutrition
Hepatocellular carcinoma
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s43066-025-00423-1
work_keys_str_mv AT shimaaahmedgamal assessmentofthenutritionalstatusofhepatocellularcarcinomapatientsevaluatingmethodsandcorrelationwithdiseaseseveritycrosssectionalstudy
AT wesamsabermorad assessmentofthenutritionalstatusofhepatocellularcarcinomapatientsevaluatingmethodsandcorrelationwithdiseaseseveritycrosssectionalstudy
AT gasserelazab assessmentofthenutritionalstatusofhepatocellularcarcinomapatientsevaluatingmethodsandcorrelationwithdiseaseseveritycrosssectionalstudy
AT saniaaliyehia assessmentofthenutritionalstatusofhepatocellularcarcinomapatientsevaluatingmethodsandcorrelationwithdiseaseseveritycrosssectionalstudy