Background/objectivesThe assessment of nutritional status and the quality of life in patients with gastric cancer has become one of the important goals of current clinical treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess the nutritional status in hospitalized gastric cancer patients by using patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) and to analyze the influence of nutritional status on the patients’ quality of life (QOL).MethodsWe reviewed the pathological diagnosis of gastric cancer for 2322 hospitalized patients using PG-SGA to assess their nutritional status and collected data on clinical symptoms, the anthropometric parameters (height, weight, body mass index (BMI), mid-arm circumference (MAC), triceps skin-fold thickness (TSF), and hand-grip strength (HGS). We also collected laboratory data (prealbumin, albumin, hemoglobin) within 48 h after the patient was admitted to the hospital. The 30-item European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) was used for QOL assessment in all patients.ResultsBy using PG-SGA, we found 80.4% of the patients were malnourished (score ≥ 4) and 45.1% of the patients required urgent nutritional support (score ≥ 9). In univariate analysis, old age (> 65 years, p < 0.001), female (p = 0.007), residence in a village (p = 0.004), a lower level of education (p < 0.001), and self-paying (p < 0.001) were indicated as risk factors of patients with gastric cancer to be suffering from severe malnutrition. There was a negative correlation between PG-SGA and various nutritional parameters (p < 0.05). The quality of life was significantly different in gastric cancer patients with different nutritional status (p < 0.01).ConclusionMalnutrition of hospitalized patients with gastric cancer in China is common and seriously affects the patients’ quality of life. The nutritional status should be evaluated in a timely manner and reasonable nutritional intervention should be provided as soon as possible. The PG-SGA was fit for using as a clinical nutrition assessment method, being worthy of clinical application.

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Malnutrition is common in patients with cancer, which adversely affects the survival and quality of life of cancer patients. However, there is no national data on the prevalence of malnutrition in Chinese cancer patients. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of malnutrition and quality of life (QOL) of Chinese patients with local regional, recurrent or metastatic cancer, to address the prognostic value of nutritional status and QOL on the survival of cancer patients in China and to validate the patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) questionnaire in Chinese cancer patients.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This is an observational, multi-centered, and hospital-based prospective cohort study. We aimed to recruit 50,000 cancer patients (age 18 and above) over an 8-year period. Data collection will occur within 48 hr after patients are admitted to hospital, 30-days after hospital admission, and the follow-up will be conducted 1-8 years after enrolment. The primary outcome is overall survival, and secondary outcomes are length of hospital stay and hospital costs. Factors measured are demographic characteristics, tumor characteristics, anthropometry measurements, hematological measurement, body composition, PG-SGA scores, Karnofsky performance status scores, and QLQ C30 scores. This protocol was approved by local ethical committees of all the participant hospitals.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This multi-centered, large-scale, long-time follow-up prospective study will help diagnose malnutrition in cancer patients in China, and identify the related risk factors associated with the negative outcomes. The anticipated results will highlight the need for a truly scientific appraisal of nutrition therapy, and help to improve outcomes among cancer patients in China.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Trial Registration: </strong>The trial has been registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1800020329. Registered on 19 December 2018.<strong></strong></p>

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Objectives: Aldehyde dehydrogenase 3A1 (ALDH3A1) is a member of the ALDH superfamily and its relationship with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) still unknown. In our subject, we aimed to reveal the expression pattern and clinical value of ALDH3A1 in OSCC and its biological function in OSCC cell lines. Materials and methods: The expression level of ALDH3A1 in paired OSCC tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues were detected by quantitative real-time PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry. The relationship between ALDH3A1 expression and clinical characteristics was analyzed. Besides, cell-counting kit 8, colony formation, wound healing, transwell invasion, apoptosis and cell cycle assays were employed to assess the role of ALDH3A1 in OSCC cells. To explore the influence of ALDH3A1 on OSCC epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), the expression of EMT markers (E-cadherin, vimentin, snail, MMP3) on OSCC cells were detected, and possible mechanisms were analyzed. Results: In OSCC tissues, ALDH3A1 was significantly decreased compared to the adjacent normal tissues. Lower ALDH3A1 expression in OSCC tissues was associated with a higher incidence of lymph node metastasis (LNM). Moreover, the overall survival of OSCC with low ALDH3A1 expression was significantly worse compared to that of OSCC with high ALDH3A1 expression. Restored expression of ALDH3A1 suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion in OSCC cells. Further experiments showed that ALDH3A1 might inhibit EMT in OSCC via a regulation of the IL-6/STAT3 signal pathway. Conclusion: These data indicate that ALDH3A1 may serve as a biomarker and may be developed into a novel treatment for OSCC.