WCLC 2025 - Posters & ePosters-P2.15 .27 Symptom Screening Using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Adds Value to Routine Clinical Review

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This study evaluated the added value of using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) symptom screening tool alongside routine clinical review in patients with newly diagnosed locally advanced or metastatic lung cancer. Between June 2021 and February 2025, 108 patients were identified for prehabilitation soon after diagnosis; 94 completed PG-SGA screening. The PG-SGA was compared to symptoms documented in initial respiratory clinic letters to assess differences in symptom identification, focusing on nutritional impact symptoms (NIS).<br /><br />Key findings included that 44% of patients reported more symptoms with the PG-SGA than during clinic consultation; this rose to 50% when excluding pain symptoms, which physicians identified most commonly. Nine of 13 NIS were more frequently identified by PG-SGA, including less commonly reported symptoms like dry mouth, being bothered by smells, feeling full quickly, and mouth sores, which were often missed clinically. Physicians were more likely to note pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. Patients reporting additional symptoms via PG-SGA identified a median of two more symptoms than in consultation. Overall, PG-SGA captured a broader and more nuanced symptom profile than routine clinical review.<br /><br />The study supports integrating PG-SGA screening with clinical consultations to optimize symptom identification and prehabilitation planning. The authors advocate PG-SGA as a gold standard for symptom screening in this patient group to improve nutritional and supportive care. Future research will explore discrepancies in symptom perception (e.g., pain and fatigue) between clinicians and patients and relate PG-SGA scores to treatment outcomes, inflammatory markers, hospitalization rates, and weight changes.<br /><br />Early tri-modality prehabilitation involving palliative care, dietitians, and physiotherapists, supported by PG-SGA screening, also correlated with reduced hospital stays (~3 days less per patient) and potentially improved treatment and survival. The project received funding from MSD, NHS Lothian, Macmillan, and the Scottish Government. This approach highlights the significant benefit of symptom screening tools like PG-SGA in lung cancer supportive care pathways.

Asset Subtitle

Chris Smith

Meta Tag

Speaker Chris Smith

Topic Multidisciplinary Care: Nursing, Allied Health and Palliative Care

Keywords

Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment

PG-SGA

lung cancer

symptom screening

nutritional impact symptoms

prehabilitation

clinical consultation

symptom identification

supportive care

treatment outcomes