Nutritional Status on Chemotherapy Delivery and Outcomes in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Prospective Multicenter Study

Background & aim: Malnutrition is common in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and may compromise chemotherapy delivery. We investigated whether baseline nutritional status and quality of life (QoL) predict chemotherapy relative dose intensity (RDI) and survival in advanced PDAC. Methods: In this multicenter prospective cohort, adults with locally advanced or metastatic PDAC planned for first-line chemotherapy underwent baseline nutritional and QoL assessments, including the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer-Pancreas 26 (EORTC-PAN26), and Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy subscale (FAACT-A/CS). The primary outcome was chemotherapy delivery during the first 12 weeks, expressed as RDI. Secondary outcomes included overall survival (OS). Associations between baseline scores, RDI, and OS were analyzed using regression models adjusted for age, sex, disease stage, and center. Kaplan–Meier and Cox models assessed survival. Results: Of 140 enrolled patients, 105 started chemotherapy. Malnutrition was frequent (55.7 % at risk, 33.6 % malnourished). Higher MNA and EORTC-PAN26 scores were associated with better RDI (r = 0.31, p = 0.001; r = 0.30, p = 0.002), whereas FAACT-A/CS showed no correlation. In multivariable analysis, higher MNA scores [odds ratio (OR) 0.55; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.32–0.96; p = 0.036] and metastatic disease (OR 0.36; 95 % CI 0.13–0.99; p = 0.048) independently predicted RDI ≥80 %. Reduced RDI (hazard ratio [HR] 2.05; 95 % CI 1.20–3.50; p = 0.009) and FAACT-A/CS < 28 (HR 1.90; 95 % CI 1.04–3.49) were independently associated with shorter OS. Conclusions: Baseline nutritional status and QoL, particularly assessed by MNA and EORTC-PAN26, predict chemotherapy delivery in advanced PDAC. Reduced RDI and anorexia/cachexia symptoms are linked to poorer survival, supporting systematic nutritional assessment and targeted interventions to optimize outcomes.