Open access
Comorbidity, malnutrition, and their additive effect on prognosis in cancer patients: a multicenter cohort study
Kai-Jia Zhao
Huan-Yu Hu
Hong-Zhen Du
Cai-Yan Zhang
Ye-Ze Jia
Xiao-Ya Wang
Xuan-Hui Wu
Yan Guo
Yi-Jing Zhai
Ming-Yang Fu
An-Qi Wang
Chunhua Song
Han-Ping Shi
Zeng-Ning Li
Medicine
Abstract
Highlights • The association between a high comorbidity burden and malnutrition is stage-dependent, with statistical significance observed only in stage I cancer patients.• Different comorbidities show distinct associations with the phenotypic and etiologic characteristics of malnutrition.• The coexistence of a high comorbidity burden and malnutrition is associated with the poorest clinical outcomes, supporting the value of joint assessment for prognostic stratification.